My Distant Snow Queen-Hiatus-
by samehime345
Summary: Haruka Nanase was an ice skater and her manager Tachibana Makoto was in love with her. When she rejects his feelings, their relationship grew distant and Haruka mourns for the loss of her best friend. Then she met Matsuoka Rin, a young skater who warmed her heart for Makoto's lost. With naive heart and ignorant consequences, Haruka seeks for the man she truly loves. Fem! Haruka.
1. My Dismissed Orca

A/N= Hello, this is my first Free fanfic attempt. Reviews are appreciated ^^

* * *

A booming cheer barked from the audiences' seat. In the middle of the room was a circular ice rink that reflects the faces of strangers like a mirror. A raven-haired girl was gliding on the rink while the spotlight above stalked her as if she is a wanted fugitive on sight. Of course, everybody knows who she is.

Haruka Nanase, a young prodigy skater from Iwatobi. Even though it was only 2 years of career, the world had been mesmerized by her skating skills and her beauty. She is like a dolphin who was gliding in the sea.

Haruka Nanase was a scratch off lottery ticket-. Her face remained dull and stoic in her every auditions, yet she was revered and adored by her fans who were present every single of her shows.

Even though people described Haruka as cold and aloof, her performance melted hearts of mankind. They all believe behind the indifferent and cold face, she has the heart of a mother. The way she delicately slide her sneakers on the slippery bank, reflected her soft and gentle nature.

While the Tchaivosky's Flower waltz echoed in the background, Nanase triumphed the stage by giving the audience with a daring twirl that sends her across the room; yet she didn't bend her body or slipped when the edge of her tip of her sneakers landed on the rink with a thud.

Her body strangely rhythm with the music. When the the music hit on a the high note, the little girl twirled again like a ballerina, sending her body in a jerking spin that cannot be seen in a blink of an eye, then stopped without any sign of dizziness in her eyes. The audience cheered again.

_How annoying._ For a second, Haruka shifted her attention to the audience as her deep blue irises skimmed through foreign faces. Those eyes are filled with expectations and hope; those sight scared Nanase to death. The feeling of being watched. She hated that. This restricts her to skate through her full ability.

But unlike expert skaters, she tried to brushed the fact. She didn't consider the existence of her audience other than paparazzi or dotting gazing bat eyes in the darkness. This leaded the girl to twirled like the sugar plum princess in her fairy tale books, bending her waist and perfectly curved the entire circuit and sweeping herself on the icy lake like a mop, leaving no marks on broken ice molecules.

She didn't gingerly chose her tricks to satisfy the audience. It would be troublesome. She skated naturally as if as they were not there in the first place, as if they were the silent dandelions on the bank of the garden.

People said she inherited her skating skills from her late mother, Nanase Hiromi a young beautiful skater optimist. She has long jet-black hair hanging on her frail shoulders. She has pout thin-pink lips and a small nose people will seek. The way she skated was as free as Haruka, her beauty is known by her fans, especially by her manager Nanase Kirigaya, a retired skater who has deep blue eyes as blue as the deepest oceans.

After giving a final spin to the audience while the music ended, the roaring sounds of clapping hands swept through the room. She gave a final bow, and swiftly left the stage while being chased by photographers or reporters with flashes of camera lights left and right,yet she didn't even spare a chance to meet her eyes on the lens.

The moment the teenager marched in through her dressing room and shut the door behind her, the warmth melted into her chilling skin. She puffed a few breaths. She slid her palms together for like 5 minutes, then she decided to go change.

Haruka Nanase has her mother's black hair and her father's eyes, which people would say that she inherited all the beautiful qualities of her parents. Her black hair falling on her shoulders messily, the bangs cascaded over her thick brows over her sea-dyed eyes. She also has her mother's lips.

Nanase stripped her indigo sweater and unbuckled her LV belt. Her clothing trampled on the floor with a low thud, revealing her fair, silver skin glowing. She can heard low murmurs and faint cheering of her fans, she sighed in irritation.

"Good job for today, Haru-chan!" A familiar warm voice, shifted Haru's attention from her daydream. It was her tall best friend and manager, Tachibana Makoto. As usual, his manager looked professional in his tight black suit and leather black trousers. His messy, beige-brown hair seemed to have oiled with a ridiculous amount of gel, since Haru could speculated a thick dry gel gobble behind his ears.

"Thanks, and cut off the 'chan' please." She said curtly in a commanding tone. She continued unzipping her rubber indigo leggings despite the presence of the taller male, who seemed calm by the sight without working himself out. Finally her pants dropped on the floor, revealing her long, smooth slender legs. Makoto blushed. He chuckled.

"Are you looking at my long legs again?" Haruka felt her cheeks burning. She tried not to met Makoto's gaze.

"Hahaha….that's what fans love about you Haru." Makoto's fingers fixed the tip of his black-lining spectacles.

Haruka realized she is naked, exception with her pale colored lingerie as pale as her skin. She immediately scooped a white T shirt from her locker and put it on and sliding her legs into levis skinny jeans.

"After all, who didn't love a talented skater girl with long legs?" Makoto smiled warmly to her. He walked closer to her creating a distance between them. Haruka can felt Makoto's warm skin radiating to her cold ones.

"I only skate freestyle." She mumbled under her breathe, banging the locker closed shut.

"The reporters are here for you." Makoto clicked his tongue, playing with a pen while a journal book on his hands. His eyes skimmed through the contents, which is mostly is Haru's practice hours or Haruka's future audtions.

"I have no time." Haruka put her hands on her lips, her voice unusually commanding and loud. Her blue eyes pierces through Makoto's green orbs, who were quivering by either Haru's unusual behavior or beauty.

"Fine." Makoto smiled. "I will tell them."

"Good. Walk me home then."

"OK!"

Haruka loathe the reporters. For her they were like the grasshoppers on her backyard garden who give out noises that distracts her sleeping in the night. She didn't want people to interfered with her daily life, especially she has nothing much to say.

Her mother passed away the moment she was born, so she never knew what mother is when her classmates boasted about it in the kindergarten. Sometimes she blamed for her existence, if she were not here, her mother would be breathing and lives happily with her father. Her father never comes home, or if he does either he is drunk or bring a random woman. The thought of her parents gave pits on her stomach and heat to her cheeks.

All she had in life was her best friend Makoto, who she sees him nothing more than a mind reader bestie and reliable manager. Makoto never left Haruka despite her unsociable and dull character, they have been friends for 13 years.

The skater and her manager left the Tokyo Exhibition hall around midnight when the sky was pitch black, but decorated with vivid and colorful lights of the city. The 2 walked on side-by side silently without feeling awkward to Haruka's apartment. Suddenly Haruka stopped on her tracks, causing Makoto to bumped her on the back.

"What's wrong, Haruka?"

"I want to buy something for dinner."

"Sure."

They stopped by the seven eleven, which gave out a blinding white light the moment they entered since the outside streetlights are dimming as the midnight overlapped the city. As usual, Haruka bought mackerel and Makoto strictly announcing that eating the same food everyday will be bad for her health, only to receive the same response he always got from her.

"I don't force you to eat it."

After they left the store, it was a few more blocks to Haruka's apartment. Trying to break the ice, Makoto started up a conversation.

"Haruka."

"Umm?" she shifted her head to the taller boy, smiling.

"Have you ever feel…lonely?"

He received silent treatment, Haruka immediately turned her gaze away from Makoto. Makoto's eyes widened when he saw brief tears dripping out of Haruka's eyes.

"No."

"You're lying Haru-chan." Makoto's voice desperate, he felt bowls of worms scooped into his stomach by the sight of Haruka's back, which began to shake a little.

"Stop with the 'chan'." Haruka's voice back to normal.

"You live in the apartment alone in Tokyo, and I have to go back to Iwatobi….don't you ever felt…"

"Don't worry Makoto." Haruka's voice cut him like a sharp scissors cutting his tongue. "I am fine…."

"Alright." Makoto said despite unconvinced. "By the way…"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever think…about getting a boyfriend?"

Haruka felt the bag slid from her fingers dropped on the floor. She immediately spun, facing to Makoto. Her cheeks flaring bright red, Makoto could see it in spite of the darkness. She scowled, hands wrapped.

"I don't know why you're talking about this, but I am not going to fall for anyone!"

"You're a girl you know!" Makoto teased.

"But still, I have a heart as dry as ice, right?"

"I have to agree on that." Makoto smiled.

Surprisingly, Haruka smiled too for the rarest times. Her lips curled into a hook and her hands clutched chuckling, Makoto found it very cute.

"Haruka…."

"Yes?"

Suddenly she felt Makoto's lips on hers. His lips was warm as it melted against her skin. She felt butterflies on her stomach for some reason and her cheeks burning, she closed her eyelids as their kiss lasted.

At this hour, rich-red Lamborghinis and expensive sport cars conquered the streets. Vivid-varied colored lights boomed from the skyscrapers and streets swept with honks and murmurs of dub-step music. This is probably when Tokyo is most alive.

Suddenly, Haruka jerked away as if Makoto was the one pushing her away. A thin line of saliva bridged on their lips.

"M-Makoto…why are you..?"

"I love you." Makoto said it, his fair skin brushed by healthy pink color. "Be my girlfriend Haruka. I will love you, and you will never feel lonely. I will take care of you. I…love you, Haruka Nanase."

Haruka gaped as her childhood friend, no her only friend she had gave her a love confession. Suddenly Makoto pushed her into his embrace, his nose gently brushing her hair in the scent of vanilla-lily shampoo, while Makoto's strong man perfume diffused to her nostrils.

Haruka didn't know what it feels like to have a boyfriend or lover, and she didn't even know how to react during love confessions. All she knew by her observation, when she accept his offer, they will be called the thing called 'couple' and do 'stuffs' or what lovers do. But she know for one thing, the feeling must be reciprocated from one being to another.

How does she felt towards her childhood friend? She sighed. She knew the answer she gave will flipped her life forever, and everything will changed.

"Sorry, but I want us to stay friends." Her voice was frail and quivering, breaking the embrace as if Makoto was a monster to begin with.

Yes, she knew she will lost her one and only childhood friend.


	2. My Awareness Hallucination

**a/n= hello and I'm quiet glad with the few favorites ^^**

**Please review !**

* * *

Haruka's numb fingers trailed to her blood-red leather scarf snaking her neck, she breathes a few puffs of air. It was cold. She felt a tiny droplet of icy molecule crippled on her skin. When she shifted her gaze to the heavens, that's right it's snowing.

Her crocodile-skinned boots clicked forming a booty-staccato echo as she made her way to her room on the 3rd floor, the apartment on the corner of the slumps of Tokyo. The place's stillness was not far from the local cemetery. Since it was on the corner of the slumps, the building was filled with colorful grafitis, like the messier-cheaper versionof the vivid lights coming from the city.

The scene where Makoto's pouty lips landed on hers struck her light a lightning bolt to her nerves, stopping her from thinking. She felt the hair on her skin pulled by a fearsome gravity, pits on her stomach. She sighed deeply. She has hold it for a long time ever since Makoto left immediately and went back to Iwatobi.

"_Sorry, but I want us just to stay friends." Haruka felt a betraying sob penetrated from the depths of her throat. She didn't felt remorse of plain guilt for rejecting Makoto, but the thought of loosing her best friend, or her only friend for years stabbed her like a golden dagger pierced into her heart. Is she a hypocrite? Or is she just clueless?_

_The icy silence lingered as the freezing air rushing through the busy-colorful streets. For awhile Haruka didn't heard anything except for her repeated sobs, or Makoto's breathe, which barely audible or maybe he's not breathing at all. It was as if her words had stripped Makoto's life itself._

"_I'm supposed to be the one apologizing." Makoto turned to her, he sound casual as if the barrier between them had not been created. "I've startled you with that kiss."_

"_No! No!" Haruka wiped her tears, meeting her bubbled-teared eyes with Makoto's opaque ones. "I'm the one who—"_

"_Come on, that's not important anymore…." Makoto blurted out laughing out loud, hands gripping on his stomach. While Makoto's laugh lingered with Haruka's silence, she notice a drip of clear liquid dropped from Makoto's eyes._

_Haruka's eyes widened by the sight, Makoto is not the usual type to cry or mourn about anything. Haruka knew him for 13 years, and Makoto would be only weeping like a little child if he is in the middle of the ocean, it was his biggest flaw since he had a childhood incident in the sea._

_But now, she saw Makoto cried. He didn't drop or wept like a child, in fact Haruka saw him like a mentally-illed teenager has been rejected or being shut from his own liberty, or more like broken. His tears dripped in silence like light torrent. He didn't scream or wailed like the Makoto she knew, he stood there silently, his eyes pasted on the ground._

_She felt the dagger is thrusting deeper inside her, and her lips ran out of words. Her brain processed the right thing to say, either to apologize, or screw the reasoning and hugged him instead like she used to be when Makoto was cringing in the ocean. But now? Her eyes laid on Makoto who was silently weeping, hiding his green orbs under his bangs. She felt bricks on her muscles and ringing shackles on her feet. In the end, her eyes just stared at him longingly, her mouth forming a frozen gape as Makoto stood there. In silence._

"_Haruka." Makoto suddenly melted the silence._

"_Yes?"_

"…_I'm sorry, I can't be your manager anymore."_

_Haruka's body died to fell to the floor as her neurons and senses travelled to her brain, and impairing her body to sitting position instinctively. Makoto…is going away?_

"_My mother said she will send me to Osaka for my studies. I have no choice but to be gone for awhile."_

"_Then!" Haruka felt her throat flailing. "Who will be…my manager then? Then how am I going to continue my career?!"_

"…_.." Makoto head down._

"_MAKOTO!" she felt her voice rising filled with bitter venom. For awhile, she felt the words she sold out just doesn't…felt right. It felt like she is ruling the hell out of him, or did she has no idea how badly it must have felt like of being rejected. Haruka wanted to rewind the scene where she will tell him she didn't reject him as a friend, she wanted him to stay and she will hug him, and everything will be alright._

_Or is she just mistaken?_

_She clutched her stomach as it wheel churning with emotions, giving her slight ache. _

"_Don't worry, Iwatobi studio has hired a new manager for you, someone better." Makoto smiled, as he turned away from Haruka. _

_Horror stricken Haruka the moment she saw Makoto gave his back to her, turning to the opposite where they were heading. Suddenly, Makoto's left feet gave in, then his right. Eventually, his footsteps didn't paused, and kept on ambling his way to the station…_

"_But—" Haruka cut him, stopping Makoto from his tracks._

_Yes, she didn't want to have any manager except Makoto, who understands her, who knows her and who loves her. _

_Who is in love with her for these past 13 years…._

"_You're my best friend!"_

_The words she said just seemed right, and wrong at the same time. The moment the word 'best friend' spilled from her tongue, Makoto's shoulders turned rigid, his footsteps stayed still on the ground as if a long vine had stopped him on his tracks. _

"_Is that how you see me?" Makoto's words mumbled under his breathe, yet Haruka can hear him what he said._

"_What?"_

…_.._

"_Goodbye Haruka." Makoto said, as his footsteps slowly and heavily leaving Haruka. In the distance, Makoto's figures shrunk smaller as seconds ticked, and before she knew it, he was gone in her very eyes, as her fingers counted the footsteps when he walked away._

When she opened her eyes, she found tears swelling up from her eyes. Haruka gasped. She was in her room, and for gods sake when did she actually unlock the door and get in? Her hand motioned to her temples as if she got a headache, the golden-yellow light of the room unfittingly pierced in through her eyes. She was on her bed, as she felt the heavenly soft fabrics softly brushing on her skin. She realized her head rested on a yellow pillow with chibi dolphin printed, it was wet from…tears? Have she been crying?

She shifted her thighs in her sheets, curling herself like mutton and buried her head in the sea of malleable pillows. She felt her sweats tingling in from her forehead to her chest, yet she didn't care. It was too late. The clock tells her it was half past after midnight, tomorrow there will be encountering those annoying reporters and interviewers. Haruka Nanase retired before changing her attires.

It only felt like a second she shut her eyes and drifted to her sleep. The early sun-rays stabbed her irises as if she was swallowed by a blinding light coming from the end of a subway train.

Her foot stepped on the old-oak-wooden tiles, she shuddered as the cold travelled all the way from her foot to her brain. Her body is swaying like a tree in a gale, like a rumbling building in the middle of a 8.9 magnitude. The world is in swings in her perspective.

The first thing she did was undressing herself and met her naked self in the misty mirror. Her deep blue irises, with shades of smoky pink and her indifferent straight line on her lips. She contemplated she will apply some make up later.

The maiden stepped through the shower and twitched the handle to the coldest point. Her body stood there as the rain from the shower dripped on her breast to her thighs.

_Makoto…_

His name slapped her into realization and reality.

Makoto isn't here anymore, he will be going back to Iwatobi continuing his college. Haruka have to accepted the fact that there will be nobody will bring her packed lunches, taking care of her mid-death headlines concerts, and a shoulder to hug when she needed a break from her miserable life.

The pits in her stomach was irreplaceable as Makoto's warm, indulging smile drifted in his mind. The way his voice called for her, how he teased about her mackerel fetish, and his longing gaze whenever he saw her naked, Haruka never cherished those moments until she realizes Makoto is not here anymore.

Her deep blue eyes sunk into the deepest blackest pupils dilated in her eyes as the bitter-cold water poured on her, lining her slender body with wet glitters of diamonds.

After the bath, she wrapped her body in bright-oranged towel with orca printed in her body. The moment she stepped outside the bathroom, she heard a voice, calling for her name.

"_Haruka!"_

She cocked her head quizzically. Her irregular-wet black hair felt to her left side as she done it. Her eyes widened as the voice lingered.

"_Haruka, I am here."_

That voice.

Makoto.

Her brows rose under her bangs, her darkened pupils are dyed sparkling aqua. While the cold air circulating her naked flesh, the warmth in her heart radiated.

"Makoto?"

It was as if her footsteps are trapped in a concrete, yet the angelic voice murmured in her ears as if she was being called by the angels. She gave in her left foot, and another. She can felt her breast thumping in rage like chorusing drums, her breathe ragging hard like a fire-lusted breathing dragon. Or she felt like she is breathing fire now.

"_Haruka, what do you want for today? Mackerel curry or mackerel soba?"_

Tears perked up from Haruka's eyes. She knew it was Makoto. It couldn't be wrong.

"Ma…macke…rel…" her voice is like shrilling glass. Her jawed dropped, and flipped up and down. Her lips felt dry. "Curry…Makoto…"

"_Okay!"_

In the distance, the aroma of strong black-pepper and fishy-crisp mackerel intrigued her nostrils. But the smile on her face was not the satisfaction of her favorite dish, is the fact Makoto was there…

Like a sudden jolt of vaccine injected to her skin, Haruka hopped desperately to the kitchen like a rushing knight on a horseback. The in-arranged items on her room passed through her ignorantly, her feet leaped on the empty bottles and empty instant cup noodles as if she's avoiding eerie needles. She felt the air around her skin was getting colder, not to mention her towel has flew somewhere in the corner of the room, leaving her banana-stripped naked. But Haruka didn't care anymore.

The face of tall guy, with messy beige hair, with a warmhearted, and stupid smile on his face, was the face she searched and yearned for.

She didn't care if she's totally shirtless, Makoto is used to see her that way.

Her messy hair, she didn't care either.

She will never let go of him. No more.

Or even…she might accepted…his offer.

The second her eyes comprehend the entrance to the kitchen, she felt her lungs exhaled greatly, and her throat rose that will wake up the neighbors.

"MAKOTO!"

She comically maneuvered to the kitchen, and slid herself like a ninja, expecting to see Makoto in his favorite lush-green silky apron, standing behind the stove holding a spatula professionally like those cooks in master chef, and burning the left side of her mackerel to dark-charcoal black. Since he was occupied giving Haruka that smile she yearned the most.

But he is not there.

Instead, she saw a curly-blonde shota, with huge-orbs like strawberries that grew in the summer. He was sitting in the kitchen table, slurping a mackerel cup noodle satisfyingly.

Haruka stood there wordlessly. She felt her body crashing, and hid her eyes under her damp hair which had drier on her run. She sighed.

The tears in her eyes had swelled up, Haruka didn't know why, but she did. She let out a sob….

Until the shota realizes Haruka presence, he immediately stood up straight. Haruka who just noticed him, looked to him in the eyes, ignorant of who he was or the hell she cared. Oh yeah she's naked, she didn't even mind if he's a random rapist who will do her in the apartment.

Life's less meaningful without the man, shoulder as broad as an orca and smile warmer than the sunset on the beach.

"Hello!" the blonde greeted him with a wide grin on his face, Haruka wondered whether he is happy for meeting a naked woman or is he just friendly. "I am Nagisa Hazuki, you must be Nanase Haruka, right?"

Haruka nodded.

"Nice to meet you." He offered his hands, he doesn't felt awkward even if a fleshed woman stood there infront of him, or is he just totally ditzy oblivious. "I am your new manager!"


	3. My Provisional Contracts

A week had passed ever since Nanase Haruka got accustomed with her young, mischievous blonde manager who was really irresponsible and carefree.

Haruka contemplated everyday was summertime for him. Unlike Makoto who is used wearing tight and formal suits, people would think Nagisa was penguin biased, One direction or Justin Bieber wannabe instead of the manager of a prodigy skater.

Ever since Makoto left, the pain lingered in Haruka's heart. Of course, every bit of her daily life reminded her of Makoto. How does it feel to lose someone who has been with you half of your life?

Despite her slight annoyance towards the new blonde, Nagisa's overflowing energy managed to cracked Haruka's hermit shell, eventually the judgmental Haruka was able to converse or start a conversation with her colleagues, especially her stylists and trainers. When Makoto was around, he was the one who always voiced Haruka's needs, such as telling the stylists to fix Haruka's buns because it was too tight for her that it caused her a headache or asking permission from her trainers to grab a drink.

But now Haruka did them all by herself, thanks to her eventual initiative to reach out people, thanks to Nagisa's help. But when it comes to manager-career, Makoto obviously is a whiz.

Nagisa just graduated from high school, and Haruka still wondered what type of major leaded Nagisa to be her new manager. Is she some kind of lab experimental rat to test the ability of a freshman?

Until one Sunday morning where Haruka's schedule are empty and she vowed to take a break for at least a day….especially from Nagisa's unfitting sparks…

"HARU-CHAN!" the junior slammed the door opened, finding Haruka was lying on the living room sofa, who was chewing some withered-sour tangerine piece. Haruka inhaled a deep sigh and bend into her sitting position lazily on the spot.

Nanase briefly travelled her gaze to Nagisa's face as if he had seen a sexy stripper in the middle of the town. "What?" her voice sounded as if she's just plain flat bored or annoyed.

"I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU AND THE IWATOBI CREW—"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know the Samezuka ?"

Samezuka? Haruka cocked her head as her black-brick hair swayed to the side, revealing her delicious, golden neck bone.

"Nope." Haruka hopped down from the sofa and grabbed an oasis-colored rubber hair band on the table-lamp on the corner of the room. Her hands scooped her orchid-shampoo scented hair and tied it to a fine ponytail.

"You didn't know?! Matsuoka Rin? The famous skater who has the same age as you and be a guest star on 2011's Vancouver Olympics?"

"No idea." Haruka retorted flatly. She really has no idea. But judging from the name (yes, she judged people as sneaky as the four-eyed inspector on the rear of a trial ) Rin must be a young, spoiled, rich blonde brat who will bled her ears off with titty tatter gossips, five times worse than Nagisa alone. Since that is woman in Haruka's definition.

Nagisa whipped his face with his palms, shutting his eyes so tightly that Haruka could see forming wrinkles, hiding his huge cheery orbs. He inhaled, and gave out a deep sigh. As if he found out Haruka didn't know the definition of sex.

"Oh my god Haru-chan!" Nagisa broke out from his dramatic shell. His voice was like tingling ice in the glass that might called the obese-curled, hook like mustache, whose temper lit as fast as fire and oil; the landlord of Haruka's cramped apartment who tries to find excuses to add charges on rents as if he is a greedy tax collector. The thought gave churns on Haruka's stomach.

"Shut up!" Haruka's voice sharpened, maybe it's her long-held patience towards Nagisa's intolerant behavior."You know you will call the—"

"YOU DIDN'T KNOW MATSUOKA RIN?! HE IS A TALENTED SKATER WHO HAS THE TEETH OF SHARKS, HIS SKILLS ARE JUST SO AWESOME! HE'S EVEN BETTER THAN YOU HARU—I mean, he's more experienced."

Suddenly, they heard large footsteps spoiled their conversation. The sound of incoming flippers became louder as the number of footsteps preceded…..

Shit. Haruka cursed under her breathe when the door of the entrance drummed violently, as if a band of thieves in Shibuya finally barged in.

"YOU'RE NOISY GODDAMIT! I WILL GIVE YOU A FUCKING NOISY CHARGE FOR THIS MONTH'S RENT PAYMENT!"

A few seconds later, the clunk of the fat footsteps subsided and the mild silence finally returned. Haruka's huge bulging eyes narrowed Nagisa like how a lion sees a zebra in the greens, her lips tightened biting her lower lip. Nagisa who noticed this, jerked his lips teasingly.

"I am serious. There will be a noisy charge in the payroll."

"Is he always this persistent?" Nagisa asked.

"Well, I was charged for disturbance once, since my old manager burnt my kitchen when he tried to cook my dinner."

Haruka felt a marble stone bulging on her throat when she reminded herself of Makoto. Yet, a tiny, curt smile lifted from the corner line of her pout lips, Makoto's bewildered face, painted with smoky-grey and smelled like a husband comes from an oil-crude factory. The tall boy bowed his head, swaying his beige-brown hair as if they were dancing hopelessly infront of her fat landlord, who said nothing, lips plain straight, wrapped his huge, chimpanzee haired arms while an ill-incense tobacco hung on his lips.

"Man…your landlord is quite the guy." Nagisa rubbed his blonde hair, his voice was plain as if he's talking to the invisible phantom right before them.

"Yeah right and it comes from someone who just added me a useless charge this month."

"I'm sorry!"

* * *

"So what is this Samezuka thing?" Haruka turned to Nagisa, her eyes filled with pure drowsiness as her pupils seemed to froze in place. It has been the twentieth time Haruka asked about Samezuka, but she felt its better rather than giving each other cold shoulders.

"It's one of the famous studios where the best skaters around the world are promoted." Nagisa replied flatly, his brows twitched and chin resting on his hands. Haruka knew Nagisa is obviously bored. The skater scavenged her mocha brown, rug patterned coach handbag and let out a box of strawberry pocky sticks. She waved it around Nagisa, and soon those melancholic strawberry eyes dilated, shining so bright like Nagisa was the chanting Holy Buddha that Haruka wanted to shut her eyelids.

"Well, Samezuka granted to have partnership with Iwatobi for the skating career business. Obviously, it has been a honor!" Nagisa snatched the pocky from Haruka's willing hands, and ripped the paperbag with an ear piercing pop that Haruka thought it might explode. He planted the pink, milky-scent stick on his lips.

Haruka nodded and directing her attention away from her manager to the road. Once again the teen leaned her head to the window, her eyes laid on the colorful building of shops which seemed like they were passing her. She took a deep breath by the tight seatbelt on the passenger's seat beside her driver, who was in his mid twenties, he has mahogany colored hair and sharp green irises like an alluring cat in the midnight.

As usual, Haruka's mind drifted into the tanned, warm face of Makoto Tachibana. It felt like years looking back to him since she was exhausted for the last few weeks with Nagisa. Of course, if someone asked her, which one is a better manager, she can't decide. Makoto and Nagisa were both good people with opposing personalities, but in terms of trust, Makoto wins on that one.

Haruka felt her slender wrists are freezing from the cold temperature in the van, even her thick; cotton sunset hoodie couldn't keep her warm. She nudged her head to the passenger's seat despite its tangy, lemon odor , imagining her body was wrapped in Makoto's broad arms, passionately and affectionately. Then suddenly, she felt her lips heating, of course they are once branded by Makoto's cozy lips. If she could admit, it felt great and she won't get tired of it, like hanging a hammock between the trees in the summer break. Their lips were like pieces of puzzles that fit into each other, as if it was created for themselves alone.

Suddenly the jerking brake on the car snapped Haruka from her daydream. Nagisa who sat on the back seat flipped to the driver's seat, almost hitting the driver who ducked immediately. The pocky box slid from his grip. Nagisa cried, disbelief or desperation painting his voice.

"We are here." The driver said in his flat voice. It seems like someone has beaten Haruka for the emo-asshole record.

Before them, a tall 50 feet premise stood before them. The buildings are made of thin, transparent glass reflecting their insides, the front gate was guarded with silver brass gate and an enormous golden sculpture of a shark, holding a long katana between its sharp teeth in the front gate. The teeth are sculpted with delicate care; Haruka thought they were realistic on the first sight.

"Wow…this is Samezuka!" Nagisa cried out loud. "Look Haru-chan! This is Samezuka! SAMEZUKA!"

Haruka shook Nagisa's shoulder to shut him up, but it won't work as if it was feather on Nagisa's back. She was afraid Nagisa's runny mouth will cause them trouble, since it was not uncommon.

Suddenly from the mouth of the glassy sanctuary, the automatic doors slid away as 2 small figures are heading towards them. In the distance, they looked pretty office-like despite this was a sport branch.

Then they stopped when they are abreast with Nagisa and Haruka. The four eyed guy with red-ling spectacles, has over-dyed blue hair and beside him, a guy with purplish-scarlet messy hair who seemed 3 centimeters taller stood before them.

"You must be Iwatobi Skater Club." The guy in the glasses avertly fixing his spectacles, despite it was neat align with his violet pupils. From his looks, Haruka knew this guy was strict and professional. "I am the manager, Ryugazaki Rei."

"Yes, I am the manager, Hazuki Nagisa!" Nagisa's voice lit up like sparkling fireworks. Haruka knew admiration in his voice by the way Nagisa's deep-pink eyes glowed infront of Ryugazaki as if he had found a new treasure, ready to treat it with newfound respect. Sadly, Ryugazaki was still, fixing his glasses again as if he didn't considered Nagisa's presence.

"I heard good things about you Ms. Nanase." Ryugazaki turned his body towards Haruka. "We are looking forward to work with you."

His voice sounded so formal that Haruka contemplated this guy is plainly sarcastic.

"I'm looking forward working with you too." Haruka replied in the same tone. Definitely not, Haruka badly wanted to hopped in the car, drove back to the apartment and have nothing to do with it.

Suddenly, the messy-haired guy laid his arms behind his neck, twitching them left and right.

"Man, screw the formality can you!" his voice filled with hints of boredom, yet friendly. When he spoke, he showed off his shark-like cavities, as identical as the sculpture on the main gate. "We are all working together right, that's why screw it, hahaha!"

Haruka for the moment just realized his existence. Her eyes narrowed towards him sharply. The moment he laid his eyes on her, his gaze was affixed that Haruka cannot bear to take her sea-blue eyes from his blood-red ones. His face was indifferent and seems like he despised her in first sight..

"Huh?" Haruka's brows furrowed, inside getting freaked out. She tried to read his face, but for god's sake, she swore this is the first time she had seen before out of 7 million people on earth.

Suddenly his bewildered face flipped to a mischievous grin, as if he has dual personalities easily swapped like playing cards.

"Yo! My name is Rin Matsuoka! Nice to meet you." Rin offered his hands for handshake.

Haruka's eyes absorbed on Rin's offering hands, her muscles tissues didn't have the incentive to move towards hands. Then she adjusted her blue irises on Rin's face. Despite her long, piercing stare, Rin didn't budge, his stupid smile remained on his face, his hands still hung for introduction. If there are 2 types of smiles she can fabricate, it would be Makoto and Rin's smile. The smile she loved and the smile she despise. Let's say, apathy. Since she has no intention to be all buddy-friendly or bore peculiar feelings for the red-headed shark boy, Haruka knew anything to do more with him will swept her through the currents of trouble, even the girl smelled hints from his behavior.

But what choice does she had? Her skating career is on the line, and in order to boost her popularity, she needed to teamwork with Samezuka.

All right let's be parasitic. After Haruka got the attention she need globally, she planned to cut all ties from Samezuka. Her mind told her this silly combination will not last forever.

It was just temporary.

Since Haruka was sure she will just be a stand in for a period of time, maybe a little of acquaintance wouldn't hurt.

"Nanase Haruka." She rested her palms on his.

Yes, this will be just temporary until she cut ties with Matsuoka Rin.


	4. My Unforeseen Fate

**a/n= thank you for the ones who have read my story so far...i really appreciated it :3**

**I have planned this story for quiet awhile...and I want you guys to REVIEW and inform me if there is something wrong with my writing or whether you like it or not?**

**Thank you :3 Enjoy**

* * *

Haruka's eyes trailed through the luxurious premises.

The moment her foot stepped in through the Samezuka Ltd, she contemplated this place like a large, public sector business organization instead of a sports branch. Not to mention everyone was dressed in black,formal suit like in the world of the technological-advanced megacity from those sci-fi movies she watched on theater.

Every layer of the building was made of fine steel and thin glass; she could see the outside clearly like right-after cleaned ice rink as if they are not indoor. There are silver-white, folded flower bulbs dangling on the ceiling with invisible rubber strings she thought they might not support. But they were useless since the daylight had filled the room, shading every object in the surroundings with lighter shades of white, serving as the main source of energy in this building like the sun on the sky.

There are a few banners hanging on the tall ceilings, showing off the famous skaters promoted by Samezuka from the past to present. Haruka knew each of their names and backgrounds since she has read skaters' biographies in magazines or Makoto's research. Her eyes scrutinized the old, and young faces filled with pride and wide grins as bright as the illuminating light filtering Samezuka Ltd. From age range from a 3 year old boy with tiny Asian eyes until an old man with wrinkles like a year old unfinished apple. The rest of them are twenties of people or the same age as hers.

She noticed in the banner branded in the year of early 1900's, a face of a young man with deep-blue eyes, glittering as if he was certain of the incoming future, shining his brilliant silver white teeth. One of his long legs lifting on the air and his other leg stood on the ground firmly. Usually it was horrendous and silly for a male skater to sold a feminine pose, but for some reason Haruka found it alluring , and it goes the same for the Samezuka editors to even post his picture on public. Her eyes widened when the tag under his picture written: Nanase Kirigaya.

_Jesus Christ, what the fuck. _Haruka cursed under her barely audible mumbling breathe. Her mind explored the reasons why his father retired to be a skater in Samezuka, and became an Iwatobi manager for her mother. He has fame, glory, and talent as sharp as well-crafted spear under his nose. Yet he stepped down and became an ordinary guy who held the book and manuals for his lover's success, Nanase Hiromi in Iwatobi.

For a slip second, the thought alone pushed Haruka's beliefs her father was a noble, low hearted man who goes down from the stage to pick up his beloved and carried her bridal style. But in her view, her father was a man who shut himself under the blanket 24/7 carrying a photograph of her mother, who seems alive whenever he brings home a woman younger than him and in the end cheated financially.

Shutting himself. Brings a woman home and get drunk. Cheated. Shut himself again. The cycle repeated for 17 years of Haruka's humiliation. She immediately shifted her gaze away from Kirigaya's photo, treating the man in the banner was some sort of professional skater she admired than the heir of her blood that is flowing in her veins.

Nagisa was unusually calm, which was uncommon. Haruka could sense his tiny shoulders were tingling, particles of transparent sweats dripped from his boiling-red ears. His lips formed curvy hook, giving slight smile on his lips. Nagisa was ahead on the front beside Ryugazaki, his broad shoulders in line with Nagisa's messy blonde hair, which gave a shade of evening sky on his hair.

Beside her was Matsuoka Rin, who is eagerly greeting everybody he passed by with his stupid shark grin, which churned Haruka's stomach and gave her slight goosebumps. She wondered how will things turned out if someone masturbated with him. _Must be painful_. She thought. Due to his sky-rocketed popularity, he didn't acknowledge Haruka's existence who is walking beside him quietly. Haruka sighed in relief, it's better this way.

Suddenly, Nagisa and Ryugazaki paused in their tracks, causing Haruka and Rin bumping lightly to their manager's backs. Nagisa's knees almost bend as he balanced himself, while Rin bounced off from Ryugazaki's back easily. An automatic entry marked the "meeting room", ahead of them.

"Well, Hazuki and I will have something to discuss regarding Samezuka and Iwatobi project." Ryugazaki met his rich violet iris meeting Rin's enthusiastic and Haruka's bored orbs. "If you please, Matsuoka-senpai may take Haruka-senpai around the Samezuka building. Thank you."

Ryugazaki bend his body and bowed like a traditional Japanese activity, Haruka still despised his class-prep-wannabe formality. Her blue eyes narrowed as it trailed the strands of Ryugazaki's hair. After for like 30 seconds, Ryugazaki squared his body, and marched inside the room.

"See ya, Haru-chan—" Nagisa followed behind him, waved his hand to Haruka, until the door was slammed shut like an off-plugged socket that stopped a radio tape.

After the managers gone behind the doors, Haruka sighed in desperation; colors brushed on her face. On the outside her face may look like a wall, but her mind was rumbling metropolis struck in aflame meteorites like the 2012 movie. She briefly flickered her eyes to Matsuoka Rin, who was scratching his back lazily. Haruka wondered if a family of mosquito just duplicate on his neck. Oh great, now it's only her and Rin.

"So Haruka, you keep saying in your interviews that 'I only skate freestyle' don't you?" Rin intimated Haruka's voice, which cause a healthy red balm on Haruka's cheeks. She loathe reporters, and that 4, low depth words are meant to shut the reporters up, but it turned out the opposite since everyone tagged these words on the fandom; tumblr hashtags, slogan on magazine covers, or even the title of her fan-blogger. They were the very reason why Haruka deactivate her facebook account and stay away from media as much as possible.

"Shut up." Haruka mumbled under her breathe, careless whether Rin will heard it or not; hints of mild indignation in her voice.

"That's not cute, Nanase-chan!" Rin grinned widely, glowing his vicious shark-like teeth.

Haruka felt her ears boiling and her palms dyed to left a mark on Rin's face. But the action will ruin her reputation especially the purpose of this expedition is to gain alluring first impression from the Samezuka ltd, for the sake of her skating career. So she folded her arms, shifting her head away from Rin's gaze, her black raven hair whipped her left shoulders, jolting her delicious, creamy-white shoulders in her naked sleeveless top. Rin licked his tongues mesmerized.

"Haruka, just delete the 'chan' please!" Haruka let her tongue out. She hoped there will be a magnitude and the building will rumble and everyone will go crazy and in the end she will find a perfect hiding spot in the city of glass ruins to hide her face right now.

Rin coughed, yet a smile broadens on his lips. "You're cute, Haru-chan!"

"Shut up." Haruka immediately went back to her stoic faceplate, arranging the flocks of her hair to fixed arrangement, closing her bare skin. She felt pairs of Rin's eyes were firing at her right now like those target icon she had seen in Call of Duty when she was in Makoto's house. She wonders where Rin's target icon might be, her boobs? Well she is sure she had cup C under her cheap, UNIQLO T-shirt she got on end of summer sale.

"Well…" Rin stroked the strands of his messy hair while scarlet filling his cheeks. "Anyways, I have something to show you!"

Before Haruka could denied, her fingers are wrapped in Rin's bigger ones, even though it was slightly smaller in size than Makoto's, it was big enough to clutched her tiny hand. Rin's grip was too tight that she could not let go no matter how much force she exert, giving in to him as Rin dragged her to the elevator with a huge grin on his face.

After Rin's huge thumbs pressed the triangular button, the entrance immediately opened as if it was a door summoned by sorcery. After Rin and Haruka stepped in, it gave an abrupt close, filling the distance with only 2 of them alone. The scent of mixed perfumes and hotel reception wafted inside. It was dark since it was surrounded by dark-chocolate mahogany wallpaper with a tiny chandelier hanging over on the ceiling.

Like 2 minutes later, the elevator opened, leading them to an empty, bright room that Haruka needed to shut her eyes by the adjustment on the contrasting light from the elevator. Her hands taped on Rin's. Sighing, she followed him as their footsteps intrude the lifeless pathway that seemed to stretched on forever. On the end, she noticed an exit door present. Are they going to go out to the roof?

They swiftly barged in the door and gave an echoing thud, leading to the room behind. Another stretching pathway. Even though Haruka was convinced this would lead to nowhere, Rin kept going without glancing at Haruka. Feeling her temper boiled in annoyance and a waste of time, she snarled.

"Where are you bringing me?" she shook her hand from Rin, yet it was futile. Blazing pain had shot through her arm and felt the blood running on her veins stopped on the tracks. Yet she kept it to herself.

"You will see." Rin's voice boomed in clarity, giving Haruka a curt meeting on the eye, shining its cherry orbs filled with adrenaline or raging mischief.

Until finally Rin stopped. Before them, was another exit door.

"What the hell—" Haruka felt rage on her voice.

"Sshh…" Rin landed his fingers on Haruka's lips, shutting her up. Then he shifted his body and barged in to the room. Meanwhile Haruka at the back following him; wiping her lips vigorously, making Rin's fingers the typhoid trigger.

Suddenly, cold air breezed in through her skin, blowing the strands of hair to the back, cold crisp landed on her neck. Before she knew it, she found her arms wrapping around her naked shoulders, her pacing slowed down.

Then her eyes widened.

Everything was white.

Before her, the sight of a wide, circular icy pond laid in the middle of the room. Haruka wiped her eyes to disbelief. The ice rink was reflective, pure as flocks of carbon, it was thin and delicate. Surrounding the ice pond was hundreds empty audience seats, standing there as if the audience are there are spirits occupying this room. The ice rink stretched endlessly as long as the pathway earlier, its diameters is fully covered with narrow ice tiles, overlapping the cracks between them too finely that Haruka thought they are in one piece. The scent of the frosty air refrigerated on her nose, reminded her on the days where she escaped the ice rink during snowy evenings, hand in hand with Makoto in tight jackets and fluffy earmuffs.

Haruka had never seen such an indoor ice rink before except during her exhibition. For her practice mode, the ice rink was simply a floor glazed with slippery icings, but it was contend. Now the thought brings chills to Haruka's skin, viewing her recent practice halls are for the low quality ones. Well this was Samezuka, where the best skaters promoted, including her father…

Instinctively, she bend her knee to her sitting position, landing her index finger to the surface of the rink carefully as if it might crack at first touch. She slid. No crusts of ice were found, while her the warm on her fingers are replaced by biting-solid iciness. Her deep blue eyes glowed for the first time, reflecting the image on her eyes as a boundary formed between her pupils and the floors of the ice rink.

Beside her, Rin smirked by the little maiden's overflowing emotions. He knew even though Haruka may put out a cold face like the lowest temperature in the world lower than zero degrees, there is always a trigger to pulled out a maiden's heart.

"Beautiful isn't it? This is the Samezuka traiing room." Rin said it with pride, obviously emphasizing his company's greatest beauty.

This time, Haruka couldn't argue. She nodded reverently, her oasis eyes dilated; both of her hands clutched tightly to her breast that reminded Rin of himself when he was younger seeing the local ice cream parlor passed by.

"One day my face will be in one of those banners you've seen earlier." Rin continued.

"You sure is snooty for a prodigy." Haruka's words were icy, breaking her gaze from the ice rink and returned to her cold demeanor. Rin was taken aback by the sudden bipolar switch. Yet he tried to keep line in his head, this girl was just clueless in everything that she did not realize the way her emotions shown were so naïve Rin just wanted to laugh, yet he find it alluring in some ways.

"I am indeed snooty." Rin flowed his words in a murmuring growl. His body flexibly glided on the ice rink like landing airplane, the sharp ends of his skate sneakers barely scratched the icy molecules from the surface. Then with a sudden gesture, his muscular hands dove straight into Haruka's waist, easily fitting in his palms, twisting her body in 360 degrees and landed his hand behind her waist, pushing faces close. Haruka was convince her tiny nose was on line with his, long ones. His smoky breathe landed on Haruka's neck, the blue-eyed maiden blushed madly, feeling running adrenalines under her breast.

"A romantic, snooty, man indeed." Rin hissed under Haruka's ears, grinning seeing them boiling hard like boiled under an onsen. Their gazes met, frozen on place. Haruka's eyes are fixed on Rin's, scanning for a world behind those scarlet orbs that builds his pride and arrogance, even though they were identical in age, deep inside she wanders for the charisma and talent Rin possessed, the naïve girl kept thinking.

The same goes for Matsuoka Rin, feeling the rush of overflowing energy from Haruka's deep blue eyes, seeking for the meaning behind her silence, yet so much filled with power that tainted jealousy in his heart whenever he see Haruka skated in videos or live. He felt his talent was out casted by the wave of power flowing from this mysterious dark girl, as if her eyes demented the sea itself, filled with endless possibilities beneath the deep currents of her ocean.

Rin wanted to know more about her, what's in store under her tranquil, and in return Haruka seek a piece of his talent for herself. Her feelings grew out of control unlike her recent willing arrogance towards the magenta haired teenager.

"I want to skate." Haruka blurted it out without thinking.

It was silence. Rin's breathe slowed down and reluctantly lifted his hands from her waist, leaving the warm on her body. Haruka who noticed this, snapped immediately as if Rin pushed her away, realizing her cheeks heating as if her stylist had overdosed her with blushing powders.

Without warning, Rin's twirled to the ice rink, his feet maneuvered on the ground lightly like the feathers of an angel, unscathed. The red head boy glided through the corner of the rink as he shrinks like a toy in Haruka's eyes, as if he is flying. Then on the distance, Rin's left foot leaped high, the other twirled in lunatic madness while diving towards Haruka.

Instinctively, Haruka grabbed his hand, and spun in the same pattern as Rin, while the Rin's feet landed with a clunk safely. Then he gripped her hands, dragged her closer that they felt each other's ragging breathe on their face, and lightly pushed her as Haruka twirled faintly and pulled her body downwards, believing Rin will caught her on time. He did.

"Wow." Rin whispered. "I didn't know we would be so…sync."

Haruka didn't replied, but a tiny smile was on her face. This is the first time Haruka had dual practice before, so she found it entertaining especially her partner is an expert. Scanning her old days when she was with Makoto, she can only leaped and glided on the rink alone as Makoto watched on the rear patiently, since the taller boy could barely stood on foot when they are in the frozen lake.

They kept repeating their moves as if the seconds had paused for themselves. Haruka in the other hand, felt relaxed. So did Rin, since it was in the first time someone can kept up with his nasty, slippery risking tricks unscathed. They did this until Rin's feet felt all cramped, and let go Haruka's hand out of his. Haruka was sure it has been 2 hours.

"Wow that was fun!" Rin laughed between his breaking breathe.

"I know!" Haruka felt her voice lit up, the first time she spoke that way beside Makoto. Speaking of Makoto, she felt her head light after the trance with Rin, but did she felt Makoto seemed to be further reached inside her. She didn't wanted to betray herself.

"Haruka." Rin called her name. "No, Haru."

Haru immediately turned her gaze to Rin.

"Skate with me in the Olympics."

Haruka gaped. She had always wanted to stepped in through the Olympics, not as a guest star but as a real player. But she always knew, the chance is thin as water in the vast desert, since prodigy skaters are always put second with real, professional skaters.

"I don't want to be the guest." Haruka suddenly melting the brick between Rin and her, the door in her heart to be genuinely honest with him. "I want to be part of it."

"Yes, I know. You will. I mean, I will…umm…..We will." Rin said, stroking his fingers on Haruka's hair, lifting her black, thin strands behind her ears. Haruka, who felt she owed Rin and felt they are more than an acquaintance, but friends, smiled at him for the first time. He returned her with a beam on his lips, smiling without showing off his shark-like teeth.

When Haruka and Rin back to the first floor seeking for their manager, they found the door is shut, and Nagisa and Ryugazaki's voice booming faintly. Expecting the managers would blamed them for being late, it turned out to be vice versa. Rin who is pleased by the situation, turned to Haruka, whose face back to stoic faceplate as if the events on the ice rink have not changed their relationship.

"Hey, let's walk around to get some fresh air."

Haruka nodded. Following him.

The moment they stepped out of the building, the air of formality was replaced by the wafting, warm dilute sunlight air and the rumblings of honking cars and murmurs of multi conversations. The streets are too crowded at this hour, since it was office or school dismissal hour.

Suddenly, Haruka saw a familiar figure. Rin's head stalked behind her.

Infront of a certain boutique, a couple, hand in hand was talking rowdily as if they have all the space to themselves. The man is tall, has identical beige hair and the girl was short, hair colored like Rin's, yet slightly darker in tone.

Realizing gazes were firing at them, the couple turned, meeting their gazes.

"Brother?" the girl, whose tiny hands clutched on the man, looked at Rin.

"Kou?!" Rin exclaimed as if he had seen a ghost. "Is that your…boyfriend?"

Yes, the man was Makoto Tachibana.

Makoto's relaxed eyes felt short the moment their faces met. Haruka, whose eyes fixed on the intertwined fingers of the couple, froze rigid.

"Well…look this is a misunderstanding.." Makoto rubbed his temples, ignoring Haruka. Yet hints of his olive orbs shifted to the girl. He felt his heart nailed when Haruka hid her blue orbs under her bangs. Her head down. Her lips forming a tight, zipped straight line.

_I don't want you to look that way._ His eyes fixed on her…

"Makoto! Let's go!" Kou dragged Makoto from the scene and galloped away.

Rin, stood there speechless. Suddenly, pain shot Rin when he noticed Haruka's face.

Haruka watched as the couple left.

While Makoto's huge, squared fingers wrapped in Kou's slender ones, they intertwined tightly as if the silence they gave each other right now is virtue, mutually passing the feeling through body language. Haruka closer he eyelids, as a transparent, liquid bead rained beneath her mascara.

She agreed Kou has prettier face, brighter and slippery skin and has Rin's huge, cherry eyes that may captivate hearts of men. Her long, fine hair tight in a neat ponytail, bouncing lightly behind her shoulders giving the sense of perfect youth.

Suddenly, she felt a betraying sob escaped her throat, shamelessly she was dragged to her knees, dropping herself to the floor while pairs of public eyes aimed at her. Haruka didn't cared anymore. She wailed like a lost child in the middle of the busting street.

"Haru!" torment in Rin's voice, as he squatted and wrapped her in his arms. Haruka burrowed her head in Rin's thick, muscled chest.

Her cries echoed, and this is the hardest cry she has in her life, and planned to never do it again the next time. She felt the time she rejected Makoto. Does Makoto felt like shout out his feelings too? Did she hurt Makoto like this too? Is this the bitter feeling of rejection?

It's my fault. Haru echoed the words in her mind. I shouldn't have let him go.

Makoto….

Her sobbed lasted as Rin, face showered with anxiety despite careless what's going on, caressed Haruka's hair gently. He didn't spoke.

Meanwhile on the distance, Makoto shifted to Haruka, who seemed to have shrunk like the little girl lost in the streets.

_Like the abandoned little girl he met on that rainy day._

* * *

**MakoHaru or RinHaru?**

**Please review :3 i will appreciate it ^^ thank you**


	5. My Significant Existence

**_a/n= Hello guys! Thanks for the reviews and I don't expect to get plenty follow and favorites despite how 'crappy' this fanfic is...hehehe.._**

**_This chapter will be shorter than the previous and the incoming chapters. Since this chapter will cover Makoto's past in the story and how he meet Haruka_**

**_Please Review . Thank you. :)_**

* * *

_The sky spitted out flaring rainstorm from above._

_Makoto stood fixed outside the Tachibana front porch, which is slithered with layers off muddy-wet puddles, watering his father's little plantation pots, which the old man forgot to water early in the morning._

_He turned his olive-green, dingy orbs to the thick-grey sky while the downpour drenched all over his shirt. The icy splays fountained on his squared-broad body, forming wrinkles and showing off his transparent tanned skin underneath his white polo T-shirt. The brunette's hair are glued by the rain, spilling them over his brows, closing his green irises that people might seek._

_Suddenly, his throat let out a mellowing howl like the wolves' pack mating calls under the moonlit night. Rage and anger boiled steam inside his heart, it was rare for him to unseal the lit of his level-headed temper, but now he did._

_The fierce downpour mercilessly beating his skin. Sneezing, the little boy naturally dropped to his sitting position, spraying his legs behind his butt. His hands are muddy by the damp soil. The same time giving in to the rain, killing him slowly by the cold._

_Warm tears streamed on his cheeks. __**It was unfair**__. He thought. Suddenly, the faces of his newborn siblings, Len and Ran drifted to his brain. Immediately, Makoto repeatedly chit his head to the half-flooded ground, meeting his temples with the unwelcoming surface, thin scarlet liquid dripped from his scalp, forming a lake through his bangs to his nose. _

_The scene where Rin and Len pushed out from his mother's womb caused gastric pain in his stomach. Happy as being the first child, his heart dropped when his parents gave birth to another one- not to mention they were twins. _

_Makoto knew the moment his siblings are destined in this world, there will be no more attention given to him. His mother would not stayed up late to read him Naruto and acted their voices so accurate Makoto thought he was watching a play. Mama would be in the next-door feeding the ear-killing babies; his father would do the same._

_The sleepless nights Makoto went through himself was unbearable, tears wouldn't come off. He tried to read the manga to himself; it does not feel the same when there are no voice overs in the stories. _

_As long as he counted for, he has been weeping for 10 minutes and feel his throat sore. He stood up shakily, as if he needs to lean for his body support. He wandered his eyes in the rain, everything felt foggy since the water droplets was falling so harshly that it wrapped the entire Iwatobi block with nothing but wet falling diamond pieces._

_Suddenly beneath the raging downfall, his eyes stopped on tracks when he spotted a little girl around his age cradling, as if she is playing hide and seek in the unfitting scenery. She is a modeled-clay in the sharp corner of the street. At the moment Makoto thought it was a random mannequin his neighbor, a clay artist, had created._

_Her glowing raven-black hair tumbling on her thin-slender body; Her figure lined with clear skeletal wrinkles clearly on her willowy shoulders. The line of her cheeks stretched like a diamond, deathly pale skin blending with the rain like a chameleon on the lush of greens. She has light pink, pout lips folded into fixed straight line. She wore a yellow raincoat, as the creases are dipped wet and short denim pants. It was so short that Makoto thought she didn't wore pants in the first place. Her pure, smooth thighs was highlighting her presence in the grey, misty setting._

_Makoto wanted to approach her at first, but the way he deep stoic eyes filled with pure paleness made it hard to do so, her body was frozen as if she's not breathing. Despite being mesmerized by her enticing beauty, Makoto marched to his cottage, afraid of catching the cold while the anger and jealousy of his siblings still lingered in his heart._

_Then following day, a new student transferred to the Iwatobi KG. Makoto's eyes widened by the sight of the same girl he had saw on the rain. The introduction was awkward and appalling, it took 5 times for the teacher to asked her name since her voice was barely audible, and gave out an unfriendly aura that the class is filled with murmurs of conversations of his classmates regarding the new girl. Her name was Haruka Nanase._

_The teacher assigned her seat behind the class on the rear of the window, Makoto's seatmate. Haruka was very quiet and pasted plain faceplate without pushing any effort to make any friends. When a group of girls offered her to have lunch together, the girl scared them with her longing gaze piercing towards the huge-eyes little 5 year olds._

_The only thing Haruka ever said in the entire day was either "Yes" or "No" in a flat tone. Makoto found it really frustrating, and brushed the idea of being her friend, even the social butterfies in class had given up on her._

_It's been 3 months, and nobody had ever talked to Haruka Nanase. Makoto remembered the only time her talked to her was during class assignments with assigned pair partners, which unfortunately it was Haruka. In the end, Makoto did most of the work with Haruka's silent gaze absorbing on him on the background._

_During the parents' conference day, Makoto felt the wheel of his life is churning._

_The tiny classroom is packed with mothers and parents, hand-in-hand with their kids. Makoto clutched his mother's hand, Mrs. Tachibana with a huge smile on his face. He loved his mother so much and looking forward to boast about his excellent works he did in class and gain recognition from his classmates._

_But, realization slapped his face when he noticed Nanase sat on her seat. Unlike other kids who hung themselves on the windows, waiting for the moment when they spot their parents' vehicle and played guessing games who's parents is whom._

_When all of the respective parents are present, the teacher questioned Haruka for her parents' presence. Surprisingly, her answer caused pairs of eyes, both from parents and students, directed to the poor girl. Despite of the involuntary attention, her answered was plain, short, and clear. _

"_What is mother?"_

_Embarrassment didn't washed all over her face as if she is answering a typical answer during maths. Her throat didn't mingled or frail. Her face remained indifferent. This incident poured silent all over the classroom._

_For the first time, Makoto felt remorse indulging in his heart. He felt his green pupils burning, and viewed his life significant for the first time. This girl does not know the woman who bring her into this life, the fact was so ludicrous. Not to mention, she is pretty lonely, and insecure. Makoto had found the answer behind her icy silence._

_The scene of his mother pampering him with books and his father carrying him in the Iwatobi evenings shot to his mind. Makoto has parents. He has siblings. The thought of having siblings may have hurt him pretty badly, but at least he have some companions so he won't be lonely. _

_Makoto realized he had been too spoiled._

_Instinctively, tears jerked from his pupils. He brought newfound respect for Nanase, who was stronger than him. He realized Nanase's presence made Makoto to view life as significant, grateful and don't take everything from granted. That leads to the person Makoto was today. _

_With time and patience, he managed to gain her trust. It took 2 years for Haruka to gave a single smile to Makoto. For a normal person, they found Haruka to be frustrating. In contrast, Haruka's huge lover for mackerel, her habit of silence, her talent for skating and every rare smiles eventually made Makoto madly in love with her._

_He loved everytime he manage to make Haruka turned to him with a tiny, curt smile nobody would see. For him, making Haruka smile or respond to every little of his actions was more precious that getting A's in his report cards. _

_Makoto was always scared of the ocean, since it was the place that swallowed the life of his grandfather. Haruka's tiny hands will always clutched to the crybaby boy whenever they are in the ocean, shifting a brief gaze to him and whispered. "Everything will be alright."'_

_Haruka….was so kind…._

_Yet he had let her go, with his own lips; his own selfishness; his deriving desire to be with her. _

Present

"Makoto!" Gou's voice intruded his thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Makoto turned to Gou, his olive eyes glowed warmly meeting her cherry red orbs identical like her brother's. "I am fine, just…"

"Haruka-senpai, isn't it?" Gou blurted it out, her voice in the middle of irritation and concern. "Why did you lie to her?"

Gou's words poisoned Makoto like snake's venom. Makoto felt his heart clutching tightly in strings. The sight of Haruka's hopeless cry drifted to his mind. It was because of his believable drama that Haruka cry.

She felt for it.

"It's the best for the both of us." Makoto felt his voice frail. His balled his fist, biting his skin deep with his nails. "After all…she will be more happier with your big brother, will she?"

Gou looked taken aback by the second as her eyes dilated wide, shimmering her red pupils. The figure of Makoto reflectively mirrored in his eyes. She bit her nails rather nervously.

"I hope so."

"I'm sorry Gou….I don't mean to make you part of this."

"Not at all!" Gou's perplexed expression suddenly flipped back to her lively side by Makoto's words, which seemed to change the mood of the conversation. "I did this for my brother too after all! Since…"

Makoto promptly shifted his attention to Gou. He felt adrenalines running under his veins, curiosity flickered in his mind..

"What?"

"He had been in love with Haruka-senpai for many years."

After hearing Gou's words, Makoto's face was stricken with mixed of emotions, fear and sudden jolting surprise. He throat went dry as the bits of desert in the vast. He gulped. His long-seed like nails stabbed deeper into his skin, causing tiny scarlet drips branded his hand.

Seeing Makoto's self harm, Gou sighed. There was nothing she can really do about it, her eyes rested on Makoto's face, sullen and morose as if he heard the news his parents will die tonight.

Well the love of his life will end right before his eyes.

At this point, the once-bright blue sky was enclosed by thick-grey clouds while the hailstorm was in the corner. Ragged trees with long fingers of an old lady danced with the wind, leftover yellow leaves dispersed themselves like best friends parting their ways, walked on the road of their own life.

* * *

**Thank you and review ^^**


	6. My Coalesce Tenderness

A**/n = thank you for the reviews and taking the time to read my story~**

**note this chapter will be a bit too long since this is like how the story starts rolling to the midpoint and I hope you can bear up with it.**

**Please enjoy and please review ^^**

* * *

The mackerel tasted tasteless.

Haruka Nanase slumped on her chair. Right under her nose, a plate of well-cooked mackerel sat on the center of the kitchen table. The lingering scent of fishy-crispy mackerel tickled her nostrils, but right now its taste-bud trigger didn't work on Haruka, whose eyes were smoky red like the tingling smoke coming out from the baked mackerel.

The picture of Gou and Makoto holding their hands on the park earlier drifted to her mind for the thousandth time. She shut her eyelids to hide the scene, a bead of tear leaked from her eyelids. Of course, doing so would be impossible since the picture played in her brain. The pain was inevitable.

After switching off the stove and undo his apron, Rin Matsuoka stumbled to the chair opposite of Haruka. Judging from the quality of the mackerel made, Rin turned out to be a better chef rather than Makoto. All sides of the mackerel were well baked; fresh-honey brown and seemingly edible. In contrast, Makoto's version of mackerel was raw zebra sashimi.

"Eat it before its cold." said Rin, his eyes were fixed on Haruka. Rin felt helpless; guilt and emptiness filling inside him.

Haruka shook her head. She sobbed. For the thirteenth time Rin counted. The room was occupied with silence except Haruka's repeating sobs. Rin got annoyed, but he tried to keep up with it.

"Makoto…I should have never let him go.." said Haruka between her gaping breaths. Her deep blue eyes were submerged in hot tears, boiling her eyes smoky scarlet. The bangs of her hair are wet with tears. Eventually, the strands of her hair fell everywhere messily on her shoulders.

Rin wanted to tell her she is not alone. _I am right in front of you if you need to talk anything dammit. _Of course, it will be too unfitting for Rin to say that kind of stuff. Rin was a sentimental guy. But he didn't want his emotions to get in the way for his concern.

"Come here." Rin called Haruka even though his eyes were gazing to the nothingness.

For the first time in two hours, Haruka's eyes finally met Rin. Wondering why Haruka was alarmed, Rin scrutinized her eyes; it was beautiful even though it was bubbled with tears. Rin still could see the light of her determination flickering faintly deep inside those pupils.

And Rin did not want it to be lost.

Haruka just looked at him plainly, with breaking sobs.

"Come here. Idiot." Rin pulled the last word half-heartedly, but he cannot help because he was deeply pissed. For 2 damn hours, he had been sitting here listening to Haruka crying with no particular reason or explanation. _He knew the reason._ But of course, admitting it will be like plugging a nail into his heart, since he knew Haruka's attention was to her ex-manager alone, Tachibana Makoto.

And here Rin has no idea what to do….

Despite her longing gaze towards Rin, Haruka didn't budge as if she is a miniature statue. Rin thought she is not breathing, because she was not breathing right now. Her body is turgid and frozen, her gaze fixed into place, might be gazing to the void.

"Haru?" Rin stood up from his chair, panic shot to his head. Haruka's skin was pale like a doll. When Rin touched her, her skin was bitter arctic- as if the blood on her veins had frozen into an ice bank. Alarmed, Rin gravely agitated Haruka's shoulders, which were stiff and giving in like a string-puppet doll.

"Haruka? Haruka?"

Silence.

"Haru?" Rin felt his voice broken. It couldn't be….

Rin immediately placed his ears on Haruka's chest, blushing. It was rude to place his head on the center of a woman's breast, but he had no choice. His eyes stalked on the hills over Haru's breast. He heard no pulse, except for his own heartbeat.

"HARU!" he heard his voice rose, able to cause a natural catastrophe. "Wake up! Haru! Don't let the stuffs about Makoto get you!"

Silence. Haruka's eyes were vacant and empty like a fluid-less glass of water.

"Hey! You promised me right? We will skate on the Olympics together.."

Still silence. Her lips has tightened like a narrow fish bone and turning pale-white as snow.

"Hey! Haru….I…"

_I what? What exactly am I trying to say? Or couldn't I just say it all loud because I have been denying it?_

"I…." Rin mumbled under his breathe, ragging infront of Haruka's chest, hoping the air he exhaled out will be able to snapped her from her abrupt death.

_Haruka…I…_

Suddenly, laughter betrayed the silence in the room. It was not Rin's. It was Haruka. The little maiden choked beneath her laughter. Healthy pink brushed Rin's cheeks by the sudden change of behavior from the icy-hearted girl. The sound of her laughter was like the sound of a 5-year-old giggling whole-heartedly. Her smile was radiant, showing off her neat-white teeth. Startled, but Rin smiled.

"You look beautiful when you laugh." The words spilled from Rin's words without much thought. Realizing, Rin's face abruptly turned deep-scarlet red. Haruka immediately stopped laughing as if Rin's words were a halt to her laughter. But, a curt smile was drawn on her lips. She chuckled.

"Thanks." She giggled, for the first time in front of Rin.

Rin felt an angel's arrow shot to his heart. He gulped as he heard his heart thumping interminably. "Your…welcome. I don't even do anything."

"You fell for it." Haruka replied, still chuckling.

Rin's fingers rubbed his temples nervously as if he is solving some university math level problems. His red-cherry orbs fixed on Haruka. Rin knew Haruka was not an outgoing girl or the type who pour out his feelings. The image of him and Haruka skating earlier on the Samezuka training room drifted to his mind. He grinned. Ever since that event, he felt the barrier between them had been melted down. He remembered Haruka's deep eyes flowing with energy. Rin had admitted it was unexpected for Haruka to give him a deep-longing gaze back then. Did he heard his heart just beating..?

He snapped from his cliché imagination and shifted his attention to Haruka. The little maiden was chomping Rin's mackerel whole-heartedly. The bits of steam rice spilled all over the plate simply showed how hungry Haruka must have been. She didn't tell him how good the mackerel was. The sparkling moment when a piece of Rin's mackerel landed on her tongue, drool flowed from the end of his lips. Rin found that pretty attracting. It might be the sight he might want to get used to see everyday.

After swallowing the last crumple of rice, Haruka's sharp gazes narrowed to Rin, wrapping her arms tensed. Rin wondered what type of seasoning he spilled to Haruka's mackerel to make her this pissed. Did he mistook salt for sugar?

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Ah." Rin rubbed his head, contemplating it was the other way around.. "It's nothing…just checking out on you."

"Oh."

Silence returned to the kitchen room. Rin twitched his brows annoyingly. His razor- like teeth clenched. On the other hand, Haruka had stopped crying or eating. The young skater returned to her slumping position, her eyes gazed to the nothingness and lips drawn to a tight line. It was like when Haruka played dead earlier, except with wide bulging eyes of an owl in the night and slight movement on her chest.

Rin was engrossed of his puzzle- figuring out how to break the silence between them. He swore not to sit here in the apartment all day being quiet while sitting on the kitchen table like a lazy asshole. He stood up and promptly marched to the living room. Haruka was fixed on her position, didn't even took a glance at Rin where did he go….

Her muscles were numb and heavy. Even though her stomach was filled with her favorite mackerel, she can't help herself to smile like earlier. Her mind wandered through the times where Makoto made her laugh with his lame, yet sweet jokes. It used to be only Makoto who is able to drawn a smile on her lips. But now, there is Rin. Haruka deeply pondered she betray her own feelings because Makoto had dated someone. The thought emptied her stomach-as if the food she had eaten is not there in the first place. The lingering taste of the mackerel seemed to have faded away into thin air or somewhere in her trachea.

Suddenly she leaped in shock when Rin's scream bellowed on the end of her living room as if he is watching a zombie movie on HBO. She clicked her tongue impatiently. She stood up and stomped to the living room. One more time Rin's cry echoed, the tax-lust landlord will marched to her room with another unnecessary tax she have to add on her list. Haruka didn't want that.

The moment she finally caught Rin laying on her sofa with a magazine, her hands on her hips. She snarled. "What's with the noise?!"

"Check this out Haruka!" Rin flipped the colorful-vivid pages on his magazine. The flipping stopped when the snapshot of the red-Tokyo Sensoji temples was conquering the whole page of the paper.

Haruka cocked her head, her dark hair following her direction.

"Let's have a holiday Haruka!" Rin said enthusiastically, his red eyes glowing before her. It was way too bright that Haruka closed her eyelids with her knuckles.

"Rin—"Haruka objected.

"You see, I always wanted to explore this part of Tokyo, and maybe it would be nice if we could go together!"

"No." she directly objected.

"Have you ever look around Tokyo when you arrive?" Rin asked.

"No." Haruka admitted short.

"I want you to cool your head off for awhile." Rin's voice suddenly went all-formal like his lackey Ryugazaki, which Haruka strongly detested. "I don't like seeing you like this. Haruka."

The way Rin sincerely called her name shifted Haruka's attention to Rin immediately. Again, their gaze met. The more she looked into Rin's eyes, the further she was drawn into it, making it hard to pulled the gaze away. Rin's eyes were sincere and caring. She shifted her gaze to the Japanese temple on the magazine. She reflected her early life visiting the local Iwatobi temple near her house with Makoto, who has big-broad shoulders for his age. As far as she knew, going to local temples will require little sandals, which Makoto had bought a pair for her.

Maybe a yukata? She remembered the indigo-blue butterfly printed leather clothing warping her abdomen, which was perfectly wrapped as if her hips were made for the yukata itself. Whenever she wore it, Makoto's eyes will twinkled and rainbow coloring his cheeks, emphasizing the fact how beautiful she is. In the end, Haruka bluntly tell him shut up, but he kept doing it anyways. She knew those wonderful times will never repeat again no matter how much force she will exert.

"Will you?" Rin asked her, snapping her thoughts.

Haruka ignored him while she made her way to her room. She gave Rin a slight glance.

"Wait. I will change my clothes."

Just then, a wide-shark grin drawn on Rin's face.

It was too crowded.

The booming sound of gongs and drums swept in through the holy grounds. The tall-red Japanese infrastructures dominated her heights. On the center of the red-painted bars, a huge-paper lantern hung on the middle. Surrounding it are little-pointy stones craved in ancient Japanese writing with words of blessing. Despite the lonely scene, people from all ages dispersed around, forming an intimidating growl. A thin line swept on Haruka's lips. She felt beads of sweat churned from her temples. She trailed her eyes on her pink-cotton jacket and pink jersey. Her hair was neatly tied to a fine ponytail as it hung dancing behind her shoulders. She snarled by her thick clothing. She remembered she didn't bring her yukata with her on Tokyo and the thought churns her stomach. Even if she brought it, she is not sure whether it will fit her or not. A pair of wooden sandal clutched on her tiny feet. A rubbery blue strap clipped her toes and the sandal together.

Like Haruka, Rin's hair tied into a mouse-tail instead of a ponytail. His purple strands of hair flocked together thick enough to be tied by the rubber band. He was wearing his sleeveless black top and plain-beige Armani trousers. Haruka blushed when she paused her wandering gaze on Rin's jolting six-pack muscles wrinkling on his tops, which was almost transparent; making him half naked.

"So first, where should we go?" Rin asked Haruka.

"Anywhere." She instantly broke the gaze away from Rin's sexiness. She pumped her cheeks to prevent blood flowing beneath.

Rin gave her a dismissive gaze. He sighed.

"Well…you know we are going here for your own sake you know."

"I am hungry." Haruka said abruptly. Honestly whenever she is visiting the temples, all she do was Makoto was either sampling the snack stands or buying paper-colorful goods which eventually end up the trash can the week after.

Hearing this, Rin's eyes wandered the holy grounds. Suddenly, the smell of food crippled on his nostrils. It smelled like baked-seafood snacks and sweet aroma of green tea herbs. He pulled Haruka to where the smell had come from.

"I can't believe you are hungry after I fed you with my mackerel." Rin gave Haruka a slight glance, grinning. Offended by Rin's joke, she scowled.

"Because that is all I can do in this kind of place!" Haruka mumbled, being grateful that the noise of chasing-squealing kids seemed to have melted her mumble from Rin's sharp ears.

Later, Haruka and Rin arrived on the market district, which is west from the main ground. Before them, a row of stalls assembled, decorated with Japanese protective charms. Each stall sold different types of goods such as cell-phone keychains, miniature statues, slight otaku goods and most of all homemade snacks.

Unfortunately, the floor was sprayed with puddles and the damp smell of water present; since it was rain earlier before they came here. Rin wanted to praise the gods for stopping the rain at this hour. It was automatically added to the list of things he wanted to pray later.

Suddenly, Haruka's nose perked up by the smoky scent of grilled squid cakes, one of the most famous snacks in Japan. Even though she tried all the snacks in the festivals in Iwatobi, the snacks around her seemed foreign to her that curiosity teased her mind.

Ever since arriving on Tokyo, Haruka had never had anything except for Makoto's mackerels or a few instant ramen. Makoto and her didn't have time since they are busy arranging the schedules for Haruka's figure skating shows.

Her stomach growled loud enough that Rin had giggled. She blushed.

"You are really that hungry that you?" Rin turned to Haruka, giving her his mischievous grin.

Haruka's face boiled in deep scarlet red, wrapping her arms and shifting her face away from Rin. "I…want that.."

Haruka's fingers nervously pointed to the stand as if she didn't want the stand owner to notice her fingers. The booth was decorated with the comical-squid banner. Rin followed her fingers. That's right, Takoyaki.

Takoyaki was the only snack she had never tried, since the last time Makoto had tried one, he passionately told her it tasted worse than one of his failure cookings, mackerel miso soup. Rewinding the over salted, yet tasteless and sour soup that almost made her puked, Haruka concluded the squid balls will decrease her age in ten years. But of course like the cliché quote her grandmother told her, curiosity might killed the cat.

"All right, let's buy that for you Haruka-chan!" Rin marched to the Takoyaki booth boldly that Haruka went all-timid, grabbing Rin by his arms. She didn't mean seriously when she wanted to tried Takoyaki, now guilt and shame filled her heart. Her teeth clenched anxiously. It was unusual for her to behave like this. Since when Haruka had been so indecisive?

She felt the nerve jolting on her temple suddenly, realizing Rin had easily used her girly-surname and ended it with 'chan', which might gave anyone a wrong idea viewing their relationship…

"Sir, one Takoyaki!" Rin's voice boomed to the man on charge on the booth, who has wrinkles like the bark of an old tree. Despite his hideous features, he gave them a warm-welcoming smile. Immediately, his old-wrinkled hands scooped the pot of white-milky liquid poured all over round Takoyaki tray. It happened so fast that Haruka wondered where the old man had got his energy come from. After a few minutes later, he picked a toothpick and placed the squid balls on a fine, red packaging. Accepting the 800 yen from Rin, he offered the Takoyaki to Haruka.

"Thank you…" the words slipped from Haruka's lips nervously, since she never had conversations with outsiders. She eerily took the packaging and the warmth under the box radiated to her skin. The lingering smell of baked squid balls churned her stomach harder than before.

"Young ma'am.." the old man spoke, his voice sounded too energetic for his age. "How lucky you are to have such a good boyfriend. Appreciate it while you have one!"

Pink colors brushed on the couples' cheeks. Haruka nearly dropped the food packaging before Rin scooped in on her hands. They met each other's eyes again. Blushed. Then turned away from each other. The old man let out a skittish laughter.

"It reminds me of my old days where I am a young man like you, son." Indicating Rin, who was drawn to the old man's attention from where the conversation is going. "I remember my first date with my wife, I bought her a Takoyaki. She was very hungry at that time. The way how she reacted on the Takoyaki was so priceless that it still give me a smile on my lips."

Rin just smiled by the response while Haruka was beside him, keenly sniffing on the squid balls as if she is smelling a towel of a wet armpit. The moment the squid balls rolled on her tongue, her eyes were sparkling as her dark-blue pupils glowed as if she is witnessing meteor showers on the midnight skies. She squealed in delight that Rin for the moment turning his gaze to her, hearing the mating-call-of-a-cat-like squeal from her.

"Take care of her while she's still here right beside you." Pain detected on the old man's voice. "My wife is no longer here with me. But opening this Takoyaki booth everyday reminds me that my wife is here with me spiritually, we will never got separated. She love…Takoyaki so much."

Hearing this, a thin line drawn on Rin's lips. He felt remorse and sympathy for the old folk, who was smiling so radiantly Rin felt weak on himself. If he were in his place, he would not be so strong like this old man, who held on to such belief to make him keep going. The red-head's eyes glowed newfound respect for him, he gave him a polite nod before their departure.

"I bless you youngsters will be a happy couple!" the old man let out a laughter that caused pairs of eyes from other booth owners and passerby turned on him. Rin blushed greatly.

"Rin!" Haruka suddenly called him.

Surprised, Rin promptly turned to Haruka. Unexpectedly, eagerness and cheekiness poured all over Haruka's face, reminded him of young Gou watching her favorite morning TV anime on Saturdays.

"Yes?"

Keeping his guard off, Haruka shoved a stick of squid ball to Rin's mouth. Rin choked while Haruka's giggles echoed on his ears. For a few minutes, he was able to chew the food properly and swallowed it. It was delicious. He gotta admit.

"Rin, ifss waph so guud" her voice muffled. Her mouth was inflating with loads of Takoyakis at once that Rin sweat dropped by the sight.

"At least eat it properly!" He warned her, face palmed.

After swallowing the Takoyaki into her throat with a gulp, she took Rin's arms, clung it to hers. Her voice was now clear and audible unlike earlier.

"Thank you Rin." her tone was quieter. "It's been awhile I have not felt so happy. My thoughts were always…Makoto. Makoto….It hurts. But now….thank you Rin."

Tears perked up from Haruka's eyes. Yet a smile was drawn on her lips. She casted her blue eyes on Rin, meeting his red-orbs in amazement, who look horrified by the sudden change in behavior, it was as if he had just watched someone resurrected from the dead.

The salty-sweet Takoyaki made her realize Rin's kindness, which was hidden behind his arrogant behavior that Haruka almost brushed him away in the first place. Rin's face was priceless that she wanted to laugh out loud. But she was too engrossed on holding her feelings and processed the words she might wanted to say to him…

"Haruka." Rin's fingers trailed on her falling ponytail, playing with it on his fingers. Haruka's shoulder tensed up a bit by the touch like an electric shock. Rin who realized this, reluctantly let go of her hair.

"Hey Haruka, there is somewhere I wanted to go."

Haruka snapped from her turgidity. Shoving the last squid ball to her mouth, she shifted her attention to Rin, who looked slightly upset by the fact he only got one out of six Takoyaki balls despite he is the one who paid for it.

"Where?" Haruka asked.

"To the shrine."

* * *

After tossing the 200 yen to the offering box, Haruka and Rin clapped their hands twice and bowed their heads. Honestly, Haruka did not know what to pray about since she never believe in things like god, and things happen because of human's carelessness or their fate.

She let one of her eyes opened and peeked at Rin, who was absorbed in his prayer. The locks of his magenta colored hair fell all over his face, covering half of his features except his jawline. She wondered what Rin might be praying for, for his skating career or something else?

For Haruka, praying was like relying to blind miracles that might not exist in the first place or the chance it might be was ration 1 till hundred. Back on her days when she was young visiting the shrine, she visited the shrine 6 times a day to pray for her father's horrendous behaviors. Of course, the older she got the worse her father has become that he began to shut himself in the house completely. Without Haruka's reluctant offerings for his daily needs, he would be long-dead already.

Kirigaya Nanase. The photograph of his father in the Samezuka billboard came across his mind. She had never seen the expression of her father so lively before that she believed the photo might be edited in photoshop. The man in the photo was smiling radiantly, his blue eyes twinkling as if he is skating under the starry sky. But the man she knew was half psycho maniac, dumbfounded expression written all over his face everyday and his unnecessary cries or cursing echoed through the halls of the Nanase household. Then Haruka will be in her room, hiding herself under her futon and weeping until her father's cry had stopped.

Back then, Haruka contemplated god was like the magical fairy or genie that will grant wishes and miracles. Having faith in it, the innocent girl visited the shrine every time of the day, kneeling on her knees and intently praying to the gods who she believe that will save her father.

But of course, it never came true, in fact his father had become worst as years had to come. They barely speak, the only time they ever exchange conversations was whenever she bought a bottle of water or a packet of food feeding her father from Makoto's money. His father would be nodded vigorously like a half autistic person (he is in Haruka's perspective) and scooped the food or drinks. He will shoved everything at once at then curled himself in the corner, crying again. That is the sight Haruka Nanase will detested in her whole life.

"I'm done. Sorry for the wait." Rin suddenly spoke up, turning to Haruka, who was surprised she had been not praying the whole time while people had been lining up on the line waiting for them. She grunted in guilt.

"Nah, it's fine." Haruka tried to gave him a reassuring smile. "What did you pray for anyway?"

"My father."

When Haruka heard the word 'father' spitting out from Rin's lips, her stomach lurched. The subject regarding Nanase Kirigaya is the least she wanted to talk about. She tried to put down the subject-but the way Rin had said it was so sincere, and giving him a curt response would be too heartless or maybe unfitting despite what Rin had given her so far.

"What about him?" she peaked up a question in her mind, truth to be told she hoped the conversation will not fish to the point she has to talk about her only parent too.

"I am giving him my regards." Rin's eyes locked on the offering box that Haruka thought he might have an implausible interest for the amount of pennies inside the holy collector. "When I was seven, my father passed away. He broke his neck in one of his performances by accident."

Horror stricken Haruka as the raven haired girl gave him a sudden alarmed glance, the thought of the rich-spoiled Matsuoka Rin has a sad past never had came across her mind. Her eyes dilated in shock or bewilderment. Noticing the change in Haruka's manners, Rin turned to her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Don't feel sorry for me, I have get over it.." he spoke softly that sounded he is mumbling under his breathe. "The incident made me hate skating. I remember at that time my heart was burning in flares of rage. I believe it will be able to melt the skating rink we visited this morning."

Rin let out a chuckled that he meant it as a joke, but Haruka didn't giggled at all. She was fixed looking at Rin's face, showered with bitter pain and slight happiness to mask his feelings infront of her. Haruka knew.

"Do you love your dad?" the thought of his mind-wrecked father snapped into her mind that Haruka wanted to vomit by the picture alone. Rin looked taken aback by the question. Haruka expected Rin's emotional outburst or his fist coming straight at her by the obvious question. Everyone loves his or her father. Including Rin. But not Haruka.

"He is the reason I become skater." Rin answered, which is indicating a yes, but indirectly. "When I looked into his earlier photos, I realized being a skater is his dream. He wanted to skate in the Olympics."

Haruka nodded silently, listening to Rin, letting herself being indulged by his self-confession which she will never heard sometime in the future.

"At that time, I realized hating the dream my dad had tried to achieved was very bad of me." Rin said, his voice in the middle of sighing and sobbing. "That's why I become a skater to achieve his dreams."

Listening to Rin, Haruka was fixed in place. She is helpless. But her mind was running-she found Rin's ideals to be stupid. Are we supposed to chase our own dreams instead of someone else? Reflecting the belief to herself, Haruka might believe her father might have the same dream as her; to be a true figurine skater. But will she follow the footstep of her old man of being a pathetic, weeping parent or reverse whore?

Of course, she kept them all to herself, since she didn't want to messed up Rin's moment.

"Your father must be a good man." Instead she said it. It was honest. For peculiar reason, tears had boiled up and her throat was heavy when she spilled the words out.

Rin was silent at the moment, shifting his gaze to the marble tiles, which was filled with dried autumn leaves, buried under the bits of snowflake.

"He is." Rin admitted it short. "Well anyways, its getting dark, let's go back. Oh, note that I will stay in your place in a while, since my apartment was locked for awhile due to security reasons."

When they turned their backs on the blessing boxes, the sky had turned dark red and the sun had shrinking behind the wave line on the ocean. Unlike earlier, there are less people in the holy grounds. The paper-lantern that folded like bulbs surrounding the shrine had lit up like a dragonfly faintly glowing in the midnight.

"Haruka."

"Yes?"

"Sorry, if I talk too much."

"Yeah, it's okay." Haruka folded her fingers into Rin's while their cold temperature melted into their skin, making them warm.

* * *

The walk to the apartment was uneventful since Rin was silent the whole time they were on the train back to center of Tokyo. Haruka keenly took sight glances to Rin, his eyes were shadowed by his red flocks. He said nothing. Haruka tried to came up with a conversation, but her mouth was always left opened when Rin turned to her asking basic question such as what time it was; it has been questioned for 5 times in an hour.

When they have reached in front of Haruka's room, Haruka unlocked the room and flogged the lights on. The raven haired girl slumped to her sofa lazily and sighed deeply in fatigue, what a day it was.

Her gaze wandered to Rin, who was walking to the kitchen room to get some water carefreely as if it was his home. She grunted. She got on her sitting position and undo the buttons of her jacket to change her clothes.

But her fingers felt numb and her eyes were heavy, naturally she slide to the sofa bank with a thud, her hair messily rained on her shoulders.

A few minutes later, Rin marched to the living room holding a glass of water. He jolted.

Haruka was sleepily sleeping in the sofa bank, the buttons on her clothes were half done and enough to revealed her cotton-black colored lingerie. She was half naked.

Her eyelids closed, thickening her sharp, dark and pointy eyelashes over her eyes. Pink colors were brushing her cheeks and her mouth gaped open, lightly breathing as if she is gasping for air.

By the sight, Rin instinctively hopped to the sofa, his eyes awkwardly trailed through Haruka's smooth, pale hips. He felt the blood under his veins running wildly and his hormones uncontrollably took over him. His hands gingerly landed to Haruka's black lingerie, but he stopped. He focused his eyes on Haruka, who was sleeping peacefully. It reminded him of his little sister Gou sleeping in his lap after school after a long tiring day.

Rin bend his body and snuggled in the sofa to get some space for himself, lightly pushed sleeping Haruka to his chest and wrapping her tiny body with his huge-broad hands. He shifted one last glance at Haruka. He smiled.

_I never thought she had grown up to be this beautiful._

Rin's cheeks were burning. Despite his bashful manner, his lips softly landed on Haruka's hair, brushing it gently as if he is combing the strands of her hair with his lips.

"I love you. Haruka Nanase." He whispered softly into her ears, and followed her to his slumber.

* * *

**a/n= to rinharu fans i hope i satisfy you with this one :)**

**Makoharu fans dont be upset, it's not the end yet ^^"**

**Thank you ^^**

Please leave some review or favs :* i would be appreciated :p


	7. My Managers' Banter

Extra Chapter 6.5 MANAGER'S BANTER

When the opaque-automatic doors had come to a close, Nagisa quickly hopped to one of the seats in the formal, office like round table that reminded him of the Knights of the Round Table in one of his favorite classic books he read in college. Unlike Iwatobi who used the local fast food restaurant for meetings, this place was neat and anyone would believed if Samezuka's top-star manager Ryugazaki was the one who clean this place.

In the center was the round table made of mahogany, lined with a piece of fine-fibre glass corresponded with the shape of the desk. The room was filtered with white- glimmering light coming from the transparent, thin glasses to the outside world, it took one part of the walls on the back of the meeting room. Nagisa could not help but put a huge smile on his face.

"Wow! Samezuka meeting room was very cool!" he gave a theatrical gasp as twinkles of stars twinkled in his strawberry eyes. Ryugazaki gave a slight gaze to the blonde shota, feeling blood running through his veins in irritation.

"Now, may you behave yourself please, Hazuki-san." His finger positioned the middle tip of his red-framed glasses on his nose, lining them with his dark, violet eyes that remind him of Haruka. Except with purple eyes like the wings of a full-grown butterfly.

"Wow! Samezuka must be very rich to order all this expensive furniture!" Nagisa ignored Ryugazaki. His sparkling pink eyes trailed through the room's features. Rows of winking-golden chandelier hung all across the room and short, spectrum neon tubes displayed all around the round table. He kneeled down at each item and scrutinized them deeply, as if he is investigating a mystery case like Sherlock holmes; with his wide, pink eyes as the magnifying glass.

"Hazuki-kun." Rei's monotone voice rose a bit, filled with slight anger by the childish sight. "Please behave, we still have things to talk abou—"

"Hey, your name is Rei Ryugazaki right?" Nagisa cut him again, jumping to his feet. He whirled and met his optimistic eyes with Ryugazaki's , which is clouded with no emotions except between boredom or slight annoyance.

"Yes." Ryugazaki replied curtly. He hoped this simple answer will shut the blonde up. "So, yes you can call me Rei-san or—"

"I WILL CALL YOU REI-CHAN!" Nagisa declared in excitement that caused healthy pink brushing Ryugazaki's cheeks.

"What do you mean by that Hazuki-kun?!" Rei's voice turned bizarre, which seemed to lost all of its formality. Hearing the new side of Rei, a tiny hook lifted on the end of Nagisa's lips. His eyes glowed in mischief.

"Your name will be Rei-chan!" Nagisa pointed his fingers right under Rei's nose. "Rei-chan! Rei-chan! Rei-chan~~~~~!"

Nagisa was now singing, which caused Rei's ears to turned red. He wrapped his arms, shifting his gaze away from Nagisa.

"Alright, you may call me Rei-chan! In one condition, please sit, and behave, and let us discuss the partnership between Samezuka and Iwato—"

"Yes! Rei-chan!" Nagisa raised his arm obediently as if Rei was his math teacher telling him to answer a math problem on the board. Nagisa was now smiling.

Unfitting silence wrapped in the meeting room except the cool whisper coming from the air conditioner right under the ceiling. Rei was arranging some kind of documents from a certain glued enveloped, that might be a Samezuka's top-secret file. While Nagisa's fingers was creeping towards his hidden box of strawberry pocky on his lap. Feeling a round, crispy stick in his finger, he took it and shoved it to his teeth, nibbling them silently like a chipmunk nibbling an acorn on the tree trunks.

Rei who noticed this, a straight line formed on his lips. He sighed again. He fixed the tip f his glasses, which seemed like a habit for him. He shamelessly snarled.

"Hazuki-kun, don't eat in the office."

"Rei-chan! I'm hungry!" the blonde pouted, letting a tongue out.

"Formalities, Hazuki-kun! I don't find it beautiful to eat in the office."

"Who cares what you think Rei-chan?" Rei's naggy complaints had annoyed Nagisa. His brows furrowed, the long-biscuit stick hovered on his lips.

"Look Nagisa-kun! It's not beautiful okay!" Rei stomped the glass table, forming a rippling crack that caused Nagisa to jerk by the sight. He stood up, fixing his glasses again. "Eating in the office will make the room dirty, which is unacceptable! Your great grandfather nor mine do not design this meeting room, we have no rights to treat it like we want to be! For example, sometimes I am tempted to open my physics textbook in the middle of the meeting! But I cannot do that! Because this room was not designed for personal uses! The purpose of this room was for people from different departments gather and share their opinion, in order to achieve their goals together! So theoretically speaking, we cannot be selfish and use the room in any way we want to, if you want to eat to the cafeteria. But this is not the time Nagisa-kun! You get it?"

Rei's breathe ragged as sweats formed under his ears. He wanted to go back to office room to get his deodorant since his body had started to smell from all the drenching sweat. He wondered why this had consumed so much of his energy.

He gave Nagisa a slight glance, dumbfounded look on his face, which told Rei whether Nagisa was digesting his words or didn't get what he meant at all. Thinking about the second option brought dread to his stomach.

Suddenly a huge smile appeared on Nagisa's face; miraculously nodded in delight. By the sight, Rei felt relief washing all over him. Since the sweat he had broken won't be in vain after all. Nagisa had understood what he meant.

"You understand, Hazuki-kun?" he asked Nagisa in a softer tone.

"Hazuki?" Nagisa quizzically asked the brunette, which made Rei jerked up by the sudden questioning of his own name. This conversation is getting nowhere. "I thought you have called me Nagisa just now."

_Oh shoot he did. _Rei scratched his head roughly as if his hair was itching. Out of all the things he had said, Nagisa had asked this little part that is irrelevant to anything at all.

"Fine, Nagisa-kun!" Rei gave in, sighing deeply. "So do you understand what I said?"

"I just don't get the part where you actually got all the ideas for theory uses." Nagisa said. "I mean, they were all obvious; weren't they?"

"But-But…" Rei tried to comply.

"Here Rei-chan." Nagisa handed the pocky box to Rei, as if it was confiscated. "Have some to enlighten yourself."

Rei scrutinized the pocky box carefully as if it might contain poison. Unable to resist the milky-berry scent of the biscuit stick, he blushed. He immediately took one stick of pocky and plugged it to his lips.

"Thanks Nagisa-kun." Rei said rather shyly. "I know I'm breaking the rules right now, but—"

"It's fine to break the rules, there is no camera in this room!" Nagisa said cheerily. Hearing this, Rei immediately took sight glances to the ceiling, which Nagisa was right. For some reason, there are no security cameras in the room. Suddenly Rei remembered the camera was fixed for a few days ago because it had been out of use for some time.

"Oh yeah Rei-chan." Nagisa indicated the brunette. "You told me you read physics book don't you? I mean, isn't that what high schoolers who took physics major do?"

"Logically speaking, everyone does Nagisa kun." Rei commented lazily as if the question was obvious. It was.

"Not me." Nagisa grinned, showing off his brilliant white teeth, which was unexpected coming from someone who love sweets.

"Yeah you don't look like one who read physics book." Rei agreed, yet his eyes are focusing on the bunch of Samezuka files, which were messily scattered on the table, indicating Rei was more like a busy businessman than a manager of an ice skater. "Well, I am working part time to pay for college after all."

Hearing this statement, a lump grew on Nagisa's heart, which brought back some bitter memories. "What?" is all he could ask Rei regarding the subject of conversation.

"The reason I take this job is to continue my school." Rei told Nagisa, sadness filled in his voice. "Well, my parents are abroad, and I have to make money for my own living. So well this is what I can do."

"Are you in college, Rei-chan?"

"Yes." Rei replied.

"The same as mine, Rei-chan!"

"Really?" disbelief in his voice, who thinks Nagisa was a few years younger than him because of his height and immatureness.

"Yes.." Nagisa's eyes looked down on the mahogany table, his finger forming a loop on the surface due to boredom. "I drop out of school."

"Why?"

"Financial problems.." Nagisa's smile faded, his huge pink eyes clouded by his blonde bangs, covering his eyes. Rei felt sympathy towards the blonde, who stared at Nagisa with a perplexed look on his face.

"The same as you, Rei-chan!" the smile returned to Nagisa's face as if his slight mourning never meant to happened in the first place.

….

Rei was speechless, he really didn't know what to say, since Rei is not the type who make friends so quickly, even though the nosy and naggy Rin was always by his side.

"Rei-chan." Nagisa called him.

Rei turned to look at him.

"Your eyes are beautiful!"

Rei felt his cheeks burning. He cleared his throat and shifted his face away from Nagisa. "Don't say things like that out of the blue, Nagisa-kun."


	8. My Revolving Sentiment

A/N= Thank you for the ones who have supported my story, I appreciated that.

I am trying to improve the writing since I know its a whole load of detail pacing...

Reviews are appreciated and hope you guys keep supporting my story!

* * *

"Ah! Good morning Haru-chan! Rin-chan!" the perky blonde manager Nagisa waved at the Haruka and Rin who were approaching the Samezuka ltd from afar. Even though the sun have not peaked and the clouds were still dark blue, Nagisa's face was dazzling like the midday sun rays throbbed on his skin like a pale vampire.

"Morning." Haruka waved back curtly.

"Morning Nagisa, Rei." Rin, beside Haruka, do the same manner. Drowsiness in his voice.

The blue-haired brunette beside Nagisa fixed his red spectacles again, closing the blue-black eye bags underneath. Looking at Haruka and Rin strolling to the building like a half-dead zombie, he wrapped his arms and sneered offensively.

"Skaters should learn how to manage their time," his voice declared in clarity and strict like how the least popular teacher should be. "If you guys are always late, it will be a shame during real ice-skating sessions."

"Look who's talking." Rin let a tongue out, didn't seem to be offended or feel warned regardless Rei's warning that gave Haruka a second thought for her tardiness. "It has been 2 hours you and Nagisa had been in the meeting room yesterday. Yet I don't see you guys around after giving Haruka a little detour."

"Ah! Rei-chan was carried away when we were talking yesterday!" Nagisa's bright voice interrupted the heating tension. The blonde took a packet of lemon-cream sandwich biscuit and shoved it to his mouth, giving a loud-crispy sound of chewing biscuit in his mouth.

Hearing Nagisa's honest response Rei looked taken aback. Red colors swept his tanned cheeks. He was indeed carried away, since Nagisa was one the friends Rei had managed to make, since the brunette is not sociable enough when he was younger. He cleared his throat and bowed in response.

"I know it was my responsibility for our tardiness as well." Rei said in a low voice, dyed with green shame.

"Then we were equal." Rin let out a laugh that can woke up the whole Tokyo.

While Rin was bickering with the managers, asking questions like how Rei and Nagisa's relationship has advanced that Nagisa started to address Rei as Rei-chan.

Haruka was usually quiet. Her fingers crawled to her blue, vest jacket. She breath a few puffs of frozen air, burying her face under her orange-sutra scarf, which smelled like lavender. Her eyes shifted to the pale blue and milk white blended on the sky as the sun gradually climbed up to the sky.

"Rei-chan and I have something to announce!" Nagisa raised his voice while holding a paper that might tell Haruka and Rin's fate for their career.

"Be quiet, Nagisa-kun! Remember we are the only ones here!" Rei shook Nagisa's tiny shoulders. Rin, who paid no attention to his bickering managers, was scrolling through his facebook homepage through his silver-colored iphone. Beside him was Haruka, whose eyes are absorbed on champion banners in the main hall, especially on her father. The mystery of her father was still remain unsolved in her brain and this is the only time she was concerned of the man she had detested in her whole life.

"Nagisa and I have decided yesterday." Rei started, fixing his glasses again. "As we all know, next week is Christmas—"

"Yaaaaaaaayyyyy! Christmas!" Nagisa screamed in joy. "Sweets, strawberry cheesecakes, Christmas lights…"

Rin rolled his eyes as Nagisa was listing all kinds of Christmas fantasy. The red head gave a light sneer, and immediately back to his phone again as if he didn't take attention at Nagisa on the first place.

"On Christmas Eve, you guys will be performing on the Tokyo Exhibition Hall." Rei beamed, showing how the news pleased him. At the moment Rin and Haruka leaped by the sight of the smiling monotonous person in the world.

"And you know what? This time there will be many people coming from foreign countries to watch the show!" Nagisa was suddenly serious, shimmering his cheery personality. His huge pink eyes narrowed, brows furrowed. "If you guys make a huge impression, you never know if you guys will be promoted to the Sochi Olympics next year."

"Sochi Olympics?!" Rin and Haru jerked from their seats, amazed.

"Yeah, unless you guys did well." Rei's smile faded. "If you guys did, Nagisa-kun and I will try our best to get you in there."

"Hear what he say!" in contrast, Nagisa's flashing character returned.

Haru, for the first time, spoke. "Wow, Rin!" indicating the red head who was surprisingly quiet, dumbfounded by the fact that they have a chance to perform on their dream arena. "Hear that? We have a chance to perform on the Olympics next year! We need to practice hard. Oh yeah… You want to follow your father's dream, don't you?"

Suddenly, Haru's words like a bullet triggered from a gun, shot Rin on the heart as the red head promptly jerked on his seat, looked taken aback. His iphone slipped from his palms, which is drenched with sweat, as if Rin's hand was applied with soap.

Haru's eyes widened. Her hands were partially trembling as it slowly made it's way towards Rin's sweaty ones. Unfortunately Rei continued, tempting her fist to fly across the four-eyed manager.

"Yeah Rin-san." Rei smiled, ignorant what's going on. "You tell me you wanted to continue your father's dream right? Haruka-senpai was right! This is your chance!"

"Eh?! What dream is your father going to achieve, Rin-chan?" Nagisa indicated the red-head, who sat there in silence.

Haruka could see Rin's body stiffened. His fist clenched and his teeth aligned as if he is ready to eat his prey like a shark. Haruka took Rin's arms and folded with hers. It was freezing. She could hear Rin's running pulse running under his cold-blue veins.

"Rin.." she said barely audible, but it felt like a whisper in Rin's ears.

Suddenly, Rin yanked Haruka's arms, treating it as if he will get sensitive infections if he holds them longer. The red-head grunted. His hands briskly grabbed his sports bag and bolted off to the front door, leaving everybody speechless.

"Eh…Rin-chan is angry?" Nagisa was the first one to speak up until Rin was nowhere to be seen on the Samezuka grounds.

"I thought saying these stuff will cheer Rin-senpai up," Rei sighed. "But I guess, it was the opposite."

Haruka's face was showered with agony. Her gaze is fixed on the lifeless hallway where Rin had left. It must be his father. He is dead after all. Haruka contemplated. Her blue eyes were tingling and hot tears died to flow. Since when she is a crybaby?

She can still feel the pain throbbing on her wrist when Rin jerked her hands away. Rin might be disgusted of her. Her hands travelled to her scalp and hid her eyes under her jet-black bangs. She let out a sharp breath that kills her lungs with thin, silver needles of guilt.

She remembered when she woke up this morning; her head rested on Rin's broad, muscular arms and immediately brought red colors to her cheeks. She noticed her body was chained and immobilized by Rin's tight and protective embrace. It was too tight, but it was warmth; as the little girl dug herself on Rin's chest, caressing her head on his black sleeveless top. Have they been sleeping like this all night? The thought alone told Haruka that Rin has been holding her like this for the last 9 hours; it brought butterflies f in her stomach. She dragged her face closer to Rin, whose eyes lay closed, glowing off his dark eyelids. It was a pretty sight. Rin might be noisy and talkative when he is awake and sometimes intruding, but Haruka came to love the sight when he was sleeping peacefully like a little newborn baby.

Without she realizing, her lips slowly landed on Rin's cheeks. "Rin, it's morning…"

But now, Rin stormed off without a word, rejecting his friends. Rejecting Nagisa and Rei.

_Rejecting me_. Haruka thought.

For now, she knew its best to leave him alone, but a little side of her pushed her away to follow Rin.

Believing her decision, what Rin may call woman's intuition, Haruka stormed off from her seat and ran to the front door. With all her breath, her footsteps had started to tromp off the ground endlessly as the chilly-bits of morning air seeped into her skin.

_I want Rin back…_

Rin's smile. Rin's well-cooked mackerel. Rin introducing her the taste of Takoyaki, which healed the wounds in her heart. Rin's quite side.

"RIN!" her sore voice let the loudest cry she gave.

After jogging in Tokyo for 20 minutes seeking for Rin, the raven-haired girl felt on her knees. Her muscles had gone numb from the cold. Her lungs are burning and her heartbeat thumping violently that Haruka believe her heart will tear apart on her chest. She wandered through her surroundings, the buildings which are lit with vivid colored lights at night are sulky grey in the morning that Haruka thought it had closed down. There are a few policemen and schoolgirls strolling on the zebra crossing near the traffic light.

Ever since Haruka chose her career to be a skater, she dropped out of school. It was better since that means all her jobs she had worked in random areas had paid off. She can use her money for her skating career and support her life alone. About her father, Haruka did not care anymore. Even though she left some cash for her father to use; either for his own necessity or gambling it was none of her concern. She didn't even say a goodbye or a letter, she just left him. Even though Makoto begged her to say something to her father before they left, Haruka lied to him.

The thoughts of Rin immediately returned on the track. Her head turned three hundred sixty degrees in all direction, shouting his name that her throat started to killed her.

Haruka almost gave up and decided to walk back to Samezuka. Who cares about Rin? Didn't' she vowed to have temporary relationship with Samezuka? So the friendship with Rin isn't supposed to be happening in the first place!

The thought gave Haruka an aching heart. Seems like their relationship had gone off from acquaintances to something else. Or something more than friends.

Her cheeks are blushing scarlet pink, and Haruka took a prompt breath to prevent her from crying. Suddenly she didn't felt like skating anymore…..

"_Skate with me in the Olympics." _

_Haruka gaped. She had always wanted to stepped in through the Olympics, not as a guest star but as a real player. But she always knew, the chance is thin as water in the vast desert, since prodigy skaters are always put second with real, professional skaters._

"_I don't want to be the guest." Haruka suddenly melting the brick between Rin and her, the door in her heart to be genuinely honest with him. "I want to be part of it."_

"_Yes, I know. You will. I mean, I will…umm…..We will." Rin said, stroking his fingers on Haruka's hair, lifting her black, thin strands behind her ears. Haruka, who felt she owed Rin and felt they are more than an acquaintance, but friends, smiled at him for the first time. He returned her with a beam on his lips, smiling without showing off his shark-like teeth._

Rin….

Suddenly a familiar voice dragged her back to reality. Hearing this, her eyes went wide with either shock and amazement. The voice was too familiar…

"Haru?" Makoto was in his green winter vest. It was similar to the one he wore when he was in 8th grade, but slightly bigger since he had grown a lot; especially his broad shoulder.

"Makoto….?" Haruka met her eyes with Makoto's. A pit of nostalgia dilated inside her heart like a hole. To be honest, Makoto was the last person she wanted to saw right now.

"Haru!" The taller boy dropped to his knees. He stroked Haruka's shoulders. "What are you doing? Are you okay? Why are you sitting here in the streets? You will catch a cold!"

Makoto's voice was full of concern that Haruka felt a pang of guilt. She fixed her gaze to the floor, not allowing herself to meet his eyes. Even though she didn't look at him directly, she could feel Makoto's caring nature showering towards her. His green eyes were fired at her with honest and straightforward delicateness.

"What are you doing here?" Haruka asked Makoto, still not looking at him. She knew Makoto looked taken aback by the response. "Where's your girlfriend?"

Makoto gulped. Seeing Haruka like this rumbles his heart apart. But at the same time, he knew this is the Haruka he knew. Cool, aloof, honest and straightforward. Ever since the incident at that night, Makoto believe he will never see the Haruka he always know.

He smiled at the raven-haired warmly. "Gou is not my girlfriend."

Hearing this, Haruka's eyes shot to Makoto, who replied her with one of his warm smiles that Haruka had missed dearly when he was not around. Her eyes widened in shock, millions of questions lining up in her mind like a train.

"I see." is the two words she could only say.

Makoto smiled again. He offered his hand to make Haruka stand up. She was reluctant- but eventually gave in.

"Thanks." Haruka thanked him, averting her gaze elsewhere.

"It's good to hear you're the same as always, Haruka." Makoto lied, after all those words the things he is able to say to her right now. Haruka and Makoto were no longer best friends; in fact they were more like acquaintances.

Haruka who understood Makoto's deception, nodded in agreement. The truth is she is not the same as she used to be. Rin changed her. She no longer needs Makoto to do her biddings since she could stand up on her own. But for this time, she let it slipped; for the sake of her friendship with the orca-brother she always loved.

"Good to see you well, Makoto." Haruka gave him a light smile. "I thought you are back to Iwatobi, for college."

Makoto, who was surprised by Haruka's unusual behavior, looked taken aback for awhile. Makoto knew Haruka for years. The little girl is not the type who will speak up or hell pushed an effort to a normal conversation. But he answered. "Yeah…Gou wanted to see her brother. You know, the one that is with you the other day…"

"Oh.." Haruka replied and decided to zipped her lips. The two walked side by side silently as the snow is thickening on the aisles. Their shoulders lightly brushed on another. Makoto looked at Haruka, who was absorbed on the road as if they are certain of their destination. As usual, Makoto spoke up first.

"Where's Rin?"

"He stormed off somewhere." Haruka replied. "Because of me."

"What do you mean?" Makoto turned to Haruka, concerned.

Suddenly Haruka stopped on her footsteps. Her body was frozen like an ice scripture. She covered her eyes with her hands, a ribbon of tears filtered from the openings of her fingers.

"Haru!" Makoto shouted, shock. He immediately wrapped his arms around Haruka, brushing his lips onto her hair. Haruka resisted.

"My feelings, I don't know anymore…" she screamed between her sobs. "Why does…this feeling….always make me cry…?"

"What feeling?" Makoto asked her, stroking her hair.

"When..when…someone I cared about….leaves me…." Haruka sobbed.

It was always a mystery to Haruka. She knew she ever felt this feeling before when Makoto walked away from her life. Now the feeling was in her heart again, except this time for Rin. Haruka have friends back in middle school, but she never cared if they lose contact with her or even their existence.

But when it comes to Rin or Makoto, she felt her heart was being grasped by a great force that she was unable to breathe, her mind running a thousand miles that Haruka couldn't caught with the speed even if she skate with all her might.

Moreover…

Why Rin and Makoto? She knew she had to pick one, but the thought of losing the other killed her inside. Is it her heart's doing? Why is she so stupid?

As the raven-haired girl cried, Makoto hugged her tightly as her cry got louder by time.

"I will…never leave you again. Haruka." Makoto whispered to her ears. Hearing this, Haruka's sobs paused. She strokes her head on Makoto's broad shoulders, feeling soothe greatly by his words. She was surprised how Makoto's words worked like sorcery as the weight of her pain was greatly reduced.

She gripped the hem of Makoto's shirt tightly, smiling. Makoto's warmth was back, maybe this is where it was the most fitting for her. Even though Rin managed to stole her heart for a little time, Makoto was definitely the lost piece in Haruka's puzzle.

"Welcome back…Makoto…"

On the distance, Rin was watching the whole scene.


End file.
